Better Sooner More Convenient Primary Care - New Zealand Doctor
Better Sooner More Convenient Primary Care - New Zealand Doctor
Better Sooner More Convenient Primary Care - New Zealand Doctor
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Community pharmacy<br />
Community pharmacies face problems at times when dispensing prescriptions for newly<br />
discharged patients, as they try to reconcile the information on the prescription with previous<br />
medications dispensed, and without the benefit of a discharge summary providing information on<br />
what changes to regular medication have been made and why.<br />
Given the importance of a strong retail trade for the viability of pharmacy businesses, it may be<br />
that there is no pharmacy within some IFHCs. Developing the ability to send electronic<br />
prescriptions from primary care, with the ability to home deliver to frail elderly and those with<br />
transport issues, would provide more convenient care.<br />
Communications Technologies<br />
With its vast distances, small population and geographic isolation, the West Coast is ideally<br />
placed to benefit from investment in improved telecommunications technologies. The availability<br />
of telecommunications network capability (bandwidth) along the West Coast has historically<br />
limited the ability to benefit from some technologies, however this has recently been overcome<br />
with the availability of a direct fibre optic link between Hokitika, Greymouth and Westport and<br />
potentially Reefton in the future (one of the first business to business uses of this service is an<br />
upgrade of West Coast DHBs wide area network, interconnecting Buller Health with Grey Base<br />
Hospital from December 2009).<br />
The current Telepaeds network links videoconferencing between Greymouth, Westport,<br />
Hokitika, Reefton, Christchurch and over 100 other locations in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Zealand</strong>. It is currently<br />
mainly used for clinical conferences, educational sessions, and management meetings and to a<br />
lesser extent for remote patient consultations, eg. methadone clinics, surgical follow-up clinics.<br />
The new fibre optic link will enhance its usefulness, particularly in regards to linking into<br />
aspects of the hospital IT system such as PACS to review radiology images.<br />
Medical telemetry can support remote clinical support, remote consultations and remote<br />
diagnosis, potentially integrated with videoconferencing. An example of this is the CISCO<br />
Health Presence System, which is being trialed as a standalone medical telemetry and video<br />
conferencing unit linking Buller Health (ED and Outpatients) with Grey Base Hospital for remote<br />
diagnosis and outpatient consultations. This system is large, fixed, not well linked in with other<br />
DHB IT and telemedicine systems.<br />
As part of the Canterbury initiative, Dr Mike Sullivan and Bronwyn Petrie are reviewing the<br />
current clinical telemedicine capability on the West Coast, the range of potential clinical<br />
applications, and potential linkages with Canterbury. Of particular interest will be the ability to<br />
„store and forward‟ patient information, (eg. photos, ECG, spirometry etc) so that this can be<br />
reviewed at a later time by both the original clinician and a remote specialist. Their report is<br />
due in March 2010 and will inform development of the Telemedicine aspects of this plan.<br />
Business case appendices V12 AC 25Feb2010 Page 132