Video technology achieving significant results in WA prisons

Healthdirect Australia’s Video Call team has worked with Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) to introduce a new, innovative model of care for treating prisoners with chronic hepatitis C, substantially improving patients’ access to treatment.

Chronic hepatitis C is a treatable condition that disproportionately affects Australian prisoners – the prevalence of the infection is estimated to be 34–47% in male inmates and 50-70% in female inmates, compared with 1% in the general community¹.

While they are a priority population for treatment, prisoners are not eligible for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and require a hospital prescription for these medications. Transferring prisoners to hospital for assessment and treatment is time consuming, expensive, and stressful for patients.

To address this problem, the RPH Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, in consultation with RPH Outpatient and Telehealth units, initiated a new model of care using healthdirect Video Call. The innovative model allows patients to be seen quickly and efficiently, without their having to leave the prison.

The results

This model of care has proven to be an effective way of managing chronic hepatitis C. Using healthdirect Video Call has helped RPH achieve:

• Improved access to treatment: More than 180 patients have been seen by Video Call.
• Reduced waiting times: 2-3 week wait between referral and the first appointment, compared to 30 – 90 days for face-to-face clinics.
• Improved efficiency: 3 times more patients seen via video compared to face-to-face clinics.
• Reduced costs: there is no need to transfer patients to hospital for appointments.

How it works

healthdirect Video Call made it easy for RPH to embed video consultations into everyday practice by emulating the process patients usually follow to attend appointments:

• Prisoners join the RPH video call waiting area via a link provided on the RPH website.
• They are greeted by a telehealth clerk, who checks their information and transfers them to the waiting area.
• The consultant has access to the waiting area from where they can see the number of patients waiting, how long they have been waiting, and which prison they are from.
• The consultant conducts sessions from their offices and there is no requirement for a clinical space or for a clinic clerk to facilitate the clinic.
• The session time is usually 10-15 minutes per patient, including counselling patients prior to starting treatment.
• The prescription is written, prepared by the RPH outpatient pharmacy and sent directly to the prison.

RPH has established a regular Video Call clinic on Wednesday afternoon. All eligible prison patients with chronic hepatitis C who are referred to RPH are now seen through Video Call clinics.

For more information, visit the Video Call page on our website, or to discuss implementing healthdirect Video Call contact: videocall@healthdirect.org.au.

^{1. Department of Health. Hepatitis C Prevention, Treatment and Care: Guidelines for Australian Custodial Settings: Evidence base for the guidelines. 2008.}