Care in the comfort of home: WSLHD launches inTouch Community Care video consultations in western Sydney

Western Sydney Local Health District’s (WSLHD) inTouch Community Care is now offering video consultations to patients via MedSync Connect, a digital solution developed by the district’s Integrated and Community Health (ICH), and Digital Health Solutions (DHS) teams.

Video consultations provide a convenient and accessible way for patients to connect with their healthcare providers, and inTouch Community Care is committed to using technology to improve the quality and efficiency of care delivery.

Nereus Maranan, inTouch Program Manager, said that video consultations are aligned with the strategic direction of the NSW Future Health Strategy and the WSLHD Health Services plan.

“We believe that video consultations have the potential to bring additional benefits to western Sydney patients and their families through improved access, availability, and efficiency of quality healthcare,” he said.

Clinicians and consumers alike have had positive experiences using MedSync Connect.

“Video consultation is beneficial for patients with a chronic medical conditions who are reluctant to have in person visits at their home,” Julna, inTouch Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS2) said.

She shared a recent experience with a patient, Peter, who has a hearing impairment but can lip-read. Peter was initially skeptical about video consultation, but he was able to have a series of medical discussions with Julna and follow up on his medical, social, and psychological needs.

Peter commented that video consultation has given him the confidence to use the phone more now than he has in the past 10 years.

“Thank you for your efforts to educate this old stick in the mud.”

Denise, an inTouch Registered Nurse (RN), recently assessed an elderly patient who initially did not want to see a healthcare provider face-to-face, but accepted the offer of video consultation.

Denise was able to assess the patient’s mobility and cognition through video consultation, and the patient and his carer both found the experience to be efficient and helpful.

“As a health practitioner, I think video consultation is a great tool that allows us to communicate with patients who could not be reached previously.

“The consultation can be done in the comfort of their own home.”

Video consultations are a promising new way to deliver healthcare, and an example of collaboration in healthcare with DHS aiding ICH to reach their goal and enhance patient experience.

“We moved fast, and we moved together to develop a user-friendly tool to support clinicians to deliver on-demand video calls,” Dr Christina Igasto, Chief Digital Health Officer and Chief Information Officer said.

“WSLHD led this work, which has been rolled out across NSW Health.

“This is an example of WSLHD leading the way and the power of innovation and collaboration to enhance patient care.”