Last week the GP’s publication Pulse held a ’roundtable’ discussion session on the issues for GPs around telehealth. It was funded by the 3millionlives (3ML) team, commissioned by the Department of Health (DH) 3millionlives (3ML) programme, and editorially controlled by Pulse to a brief agreed with 3ML. The 3ML contingent was headed by Paul Hitchcock who is the NHS workstream lead for 3ML at DH.
If you are interested in telehealth it is worth reading for some snippets from Professor Stan Newman and the ever-sceptical GP Margaret McCartney, and for the indication of the direction for 3ML from Paul Hitchcock “From my perspective at the Department of Health, our immediate next step is much closer engagement with the GP community than we’ve achieved to date.” This looks like it was a reasonable start, but will Pulse articles become less negative about telehealth from now on? The future of telehealth in Pulse – free registration required. Heads-up thanks to Mike Clark.
I think the use of the word sceptical is somewhat kind. Misinformed, out of date and not living in the real world would have been included in my synopsis.
Misinformed – The US study reared its head again with its superbly small numbers and its still using Telehealth as an addition as opposed to as part of service transformation. With its headline grabbing ‘Telehealth kills’ warning. Please read it don’t listen to others. Just read it – look at the study. The mortality in the Telehealth group was almost as to be expected. The issue with mortality should be more around how the expected figure was calculated because the variation between that and the mortality in the ‘usual care’ group was huge.
Out of Date – ‘we should only look after ill people’. Do I need to explain this? GPs have looked after ill people because that is what they do. NOT ANY MORE. Services need to change. GPs need to take their Public Health role a little further. It doesn’t have to be everyone – use your risk tools, use your judgement, charge some people (a little money earner on the side, hmmm).
Real world – if it aint broke don’t fix it. It is broke. It is very broke. People with conditions living longer, more older people, unsustainable health costs. We need to do something. Wright brothers, Charles Darwin, Christiaan Barnard and Willy Wonka should have done that, right? No because then we wouldn’t have had flying chocolate Neolithic hearts transplanted.
Keep calm and carry on – it is not witch craft.