The University of Wollongong’s Graduate School of Medicine has won a Federal Government grant to develop a program to train doctors to carry out video medical consultations with patients (known as Telehealth) using the National Broadband Network (NBN).

 

UOW won the $50,000 grant under the NBN-Enabled Education and Skills Services Program to develop the program, with a view to a trial over the next two years.

 

Telehealth consulting is a key feature of the NBN roll-out across Australia, as it will enable people living in regional, rural and remote locations to access specialist medical advice from their general practices with the assistance of their own trusted health professionals.

 

The NBN rollout overcomes a number of the technical constraints to Telehealth by improving the accessibility, connectivity and speed facilitating richer and immersive video consultation experiences across Australia.

 

The UOW trial program will aim to develop Telehealth consulting skills among current GPs, specialists doctors and the next generation of medical professionals.

 

Professor Andrew Bonney, who is the Roberta Williams Chair of General Practice at the Graduate School of Medicine, will lead the project to develop the Telehealth training program and potential trial with GSM medical students, General Practice preceptors (GPs who closely supervise medical student training in general practice) and consultant specialists.