Supporting consumer health literacy: new follow-up consultation summaries
The Patient Consult Summary (PCS) is enabling health service providers to provide patients with clear, written consultation summaries in real-time.
Healthdirect’s Video Call platform is a secure, scalable telehealth service used across hospitals, community health centres, general practices, allied health settings and virtual emergency departments. The platform hosts close to 2 million video consultations each month, connecting clinicians and patients virtually from home, work or anywhere, using everyday devices like smartphones, tablets, laptops or desktops.
Already the gold standard in clinical telehealth, the Video Call platform regularly introduces enhancements to help patients get more from their consultations. Last year, live captions were added for people with hearing impairment. This year, a new post-consultation summary feature has launched to help all patients better understand what was discussed with their healthcare provider.
How the patient consultation summary works
Summaries are created in real time during the video call, using typed or talk-to-text functionality. As the consultation progresses, healthcare practitioners can build the summary and add plain-language explanations for any clinical terms they use — helping patients understand their condition and what to expect next in their care.
Patients may see highlighted terms in their summary that, when selected, display a pop-up explanation drawn from Healthdirect's glossary of medical and medicines terms. This makes it easier for patients to understand clinical language without needing to search elsewhere.
Privacy was a central consideration in building this feature. Once the consultation ends, the summary is removed from the Video Call platform. It is saved as a password-protected PDF and sent securely to the patient by email. A copy is also shared with the healthcare provider for their records, supporting continuity of care.
The patient summary marks a major advance in virtual healthcare for providers and patients. Our role in the health system is to use fit-for-purpose technology to connect patients to quality healthcare — where and when they need it. As Video Call consultations continue to grow across the country, we're excited to see this feature supporting stronger virtual care adoption and an enhanced experience across a range of clinical settings.Sam Georgy, Service Director, Video Call at Healthdirect Australia.
Collaborating for better health literacy
This feature is the result of a research collaboration between the Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre (DHCRC), Monash University, Healthdirect Australia, the Victorian Department of Health, Monash Health and the University of Melbourne.
Following a successful pilot across Victoria's public health services, the feature is now being rolled out nationally across the Healthdirect Video Call platform.
“This project shows how co-designed research can be translated into real-world impact for both clinicians and their patients,” said Mr Georgy.
Last reviewed: May 2026