Shared care prescribed for doctor shortages

Dr Andrew Thompson, medical director at telehealth service InstantScripts, said there needed to be a change in how the healthcare industry understands 'continuity of care'.

"Australia needs to shift to a 'shared care' model whereby patients see telehealth doctors when needed while continuing with their long-term GP for their overall healthcare," he said.

Dr Thompson said the digital evolution of healthcare has been taking place against a background of GP shortages. This shortage is proving a problem across the nation, particularly in the country, with around 20 per cent of people in rural Australia unable to see a GP and around 50 per cent unable to access specialists in their region.

"Against these interconnecting factors, maintaining a relationship with one doctor is unrealistic. In an increasingly digitalised healthcare environment, the answer to ensuring all Australians have quick and easy access to healthcare services while maintaining the quality of patient care, is changing how we understand continuity of care."

An independent survey of 1000 Australians commissioned by InstantScripts found that just over 15 per cent of Australian adults don't have a regular GP, with just under half of those (48 per cent) saying the lack of a chronic condition or need to visit a GP on a regular basis swayed their decision not to have their own doctor.

Research commissioned by InstantScripts also found that over a 12-month period, 94 per cent of Australians have seen a GP just for a prescription or medical certificate.

Dr Thompson said digital health services can be utilised to share these types of simpler services with people's regular doctor, to help ease the workload of GPs.

"You don't necessarily need to see your doctor in person just for a medical certificate or a prescription repeat. From this perspective, a shared care model just makes more sense," he said.

"Digital platforms such as the MyGov My Health Record provide GPs and health practitioners with quick and easy access to an individual's medical history. The allows a patient's regular doctor to remain informed of any treatments they receive elsewhere, providing a mix of both traditional continuity of patient care and more modern 'shared care' practice."

In regional and rural areas, the need for a shared care model of healthcare delivery is more apparent, as patients are increasingly turning to online prescriptions and telehealth to fulfil their medical needs.

One of the key findings to emerge from InstantScripts' analysis of its own customer data is demand for its services outside the metropolitan areas with a 313 per cent increase in regional areas last year on 2020 and a further increase of 114 per cent so far this year. Demand for services in regional areas currently represents about 34 per cent of InstantScripts' total business.

"These growth numbers are fuelled by GP shortages in country areas, but also the numbers of people departing from their usual GP or local medical centre in their migration to regional areas," Dr Thompson said.

Dr Thompson said one of the great things about digital health services is many are available to patients after hours.

"Technology should be used to our advantage and redefine the meaning of continuity of care to provide patients with the flexibility needed to see a doctor more regularly. The most useful model is user-centred technology powered by AI to enable all patients to easily book services and obtain records, and a team of real doctors to provide advice and navigate the health issues brought to them."

Dr Thompson said moving towards a 'shared care' model will not only help relieve the pressure on GPs as they navigate inflated patient numbers amid doctor shortages, but allow Australians to continue receiving a high standard of care that meets their needs.

"Ultimately, shared care and continuity of care could go hand-in-hand, as long as telehealth services and traditional medical centres have a system in place to ensure an easy flow of transparent and clear patient information."