[Speaker 1]
Did you know that our everyday technology devices can be used to connect to your doctors and other health professionals? Lots of healthcare providers use tools such as video conferencing, wearable devices and apps to connect people and to share health information accurately and in a timely manner. You may have heard of this, healthcare providers call it telehealth or virtual care. It's all about efficient access to healthcare from just about anywhere saving you precious time.
[Killian]
Our experience with telehealth was we had our first son, Arshin, who was about four weeks old at the time.
[Fiona]
Arshin came out with a rash within a few days of Killian leaving to go to Ireland. So we were readmitted to the hospital and it was suspected meningitis. So first time mom, I was already very anxious and they started talking about lumbar punctures and everything, but thankfully he didn't have a fever, so they agreed just to carefully monitor him. So the hospital had first mentioned telehealth and explained that Heather, a nurse, would be able to call the next day, and that I could liaise with her throughout the next day over any concerns to help me transition back home again. So the next morning, Heather called and introduced herself and said just to let her know throughout the day if I had any concerns at all, no matter how big or small.
[Heather]
This was a mom of a little newborn baby, just a few weeks old, this little one, and I'd made a quick call to mom to see how the baby was going. That was part of the review process, and I could tell Mom was quite anxious about him. He'd developed a little spot on his back, and so I suggested that we perhaps do a video call with mom, and it was a really good opportunity because father was overseas at the time. Mom lived locally, and we were able to connect to both mom and dad at the same time.
[Killian]
It was just great being able to be there and not have Fiona have to relay stuff to me and then me think, are you sure is that what they said? We were there together, albeit virtually, and I think in these situations what people forget a lot of is Fiona had a cesarean section and can't drive, can't get a taxi because you have a baby and where we live, it's up eight flights of stairs. She would have to get two buses to get here. So sometimes people forget that, that it was just that whole logistical side of things, but it all went away because we were able to talk to a professional.
[Heather]
So Dad was able to see the baby, Mom was able to be on the screen with me, show me the baby, and we were able to reassure Mom and reduce her anxiety. It was a very scary time for them.
[Fiona]
I think in Arshin's case it was because it was a skin concern. Having the [inaudible 00:02:42] was just really, really amazing because for me to try to describe any spots in his skin, I'd be saying, "It's red, it's big," and I think that would just add to my anxiety because then I'd be thinking, I'm not describing it well enough, but to actually see Killian's face and to be able to show Arshin's body to Heather and Killian simultaneously, and then it was all of us together pulling together to make the right decision, it was just so much more. It just felt like they were in the room with me. Even though Killian was in Ireland and Heather was at the hospital and I wasn't as isolated as geographically I was, it really took the pressure off me because I already felt very overwhelmed by everything, and then that Killian could share in that and make decisions with me, it really was amazing.
[Killian]
Sometimes when you're in a hospital, you're in that sort of pressurized situation, what should I have asked? Did you forget? But we had plenty of time then to prepare for it and give us both that comfort over the phone, despite me being 15,000 miles away. What I'd say about telehealth is that trust the technology and for clinicians to trust that it does work. For people at home, it was amazing.
[Heather]
I think the value of telehealth in this situation was being able to connect a mother who lives in a metropolitan area of Sydney, close to the hospital with her husband, who was thousands of kilometers overseas, but it actually felt like the three of us were in the same room with the baby who was being reviewed.
[Speaker 1]
Telehealth can be used in lots of different situations. Ask your healthcare provider if telehealth is suitable for you.