Previous evaluations acknowledge that consumers are often not aware or are unable to advocate for telehealth as part of their healthcare journey. To address this, a multi-stage co-design project was undertaken to be able to further understand barriers to consumer choice and advocacy throughout their episode of care, and to subsequently co-design solutions and recommendations that would address these challenges.
Metro North Health Telehealth Co-design Project
Initiative Type
System Improvement
Status
Sustained
Added
Last updated
Summary
Key dates
Mar 2022
Jul 2023
Implementation sites
Across Queensland
Partnerships
Metro North Health Excellence and Innovation and CEQ Telehealth
Aim
To co-design a solution(s) to improve consumer awareness and choice in accessing telehealth (video call) as part of their healthcare journey.
Benefits
- Provides detailed understanding of the challenges that consumers currently face in understanding and accepting telehealth as part of their healthcare journey.
- Solutions and recommendations were co-designed by consumers and service providers, increasing the likelihood of successful implementation.
- Solutions and recommendations have the capacity for scale and spread across Queensland.
Background
This project follows on from the findings of a mixed-methods evaluation and concept mapping of priorities to improve and sustain telehealth following the COVID-19 pandemic response (See Further Reading). Concept mapping with key stakeholders (inclusive of management, clinical and administrative staff, and consumer representatives) identified strategies addressing consumer feedback, consumer awareness, resources tailored to consumers’ needs and consumer advocacy and support as top priorities to improve the sustainability of telehealth.
Solutions Implemented
Using a multi-methods, experienced-based co-design methodology, the aim of this project was to discover and co-create the solutions required to be implemented. We achieved this over three stages:
- Stage 1: Workflow mapping with eleven Metro North health services (with established telehealth services) and interviews with 33 users of these specific services.
- Stage 2a: Further informal community consultation took place with priority groups (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, culturally and linguistically diverse, people with disability and LGBTQIA+ community representatives).
- Stage 2b: A co-design team comprised of 20 members (10 consumers, nine health service staff, one academic partner) came together over four workshops to co-design solutions and recommendations.
Evaluation and Results
The solutions prioritized to improve consumer awareness and choice in accessing telehealth are:
● Telehealth Assist: a model of care with a patient-facing telehealth nurse (or inter-professional clinician) to coordinate care, and an upskilled administration team, aimed at improving the telehealth experience and outcomes for consumers.
● Digital Resource and Online Information Hub: consumer-facing information and resources about telehealth that is presented in an inclusive and accessible way.
● Waiting Room Video: a video developed by consumers for consumers to understand the problem, solution, how telehealth works and its potential benefits.
● System flexibility and support: improving choice for consumers on how they attend appointments can be supported through integrated referrals, greater choice and changing mode of appointments, greater flexibility in accessing appointments supported by the workforce and community hubs with telehealth capacity.
The four solutions, above, were prototyped and refined throughout the workshops, along with supporting recommendations that centered around (i) education and information; (ii) Telehealth Assist, and (iii) system support.
Lessons Learnt
Ensure that your consumers are representative and inclusive of the broader population. More informal engagement approaches, outside of a standard research paradigm were subsequently required throughout this project to ensure all voices could be heard.
