Introduction:
Monash Health (MH) is the largest health network in Australia, providing services across multiple sites to >1 million people residing in South-east Victoria. The MH Wellness & Survivorship clinic (MHWSC) provides survivorship care to patients following treatment for haematological malignancies. The clinic pivoted from face-to-face to telehealth model during the Covid-19 pandemic, which continued due to perceived benefits in providing care across our large catchment. Patients are encouraged to book a subsequent GP appointment, for physical examination and care-plan follow-up.
Purpose:
As part of an ongoing quality-improvement project to inform the MHWSC model of care, we sought to quantify the benefits to patients of continuing a telehealth-based approached focusing on travel times, time off work and other expenses such as parking.
Method:
We conducted a retrospective audit of patients seen between October 2023 and September 2024. Distance and time from a patient’s residential address to the MHWSC location were estimated using the Google Maps “Arrive by” function, with estimated arrival time of 1pm. An average was calculated from the minimum and maximum travel time for each journey, and the median travel distance and time were determined for the cohort. Times/distances were doubled to extrapolate for their return journey. Costs were modelled on average fuel price of $1.975/L and parking of $21/60-120 minutes.
Results:
137 patients were seen by telehealth, median age 47 (range 20 - 82 years). Compared to face-to-face, telehealth saved a median 80 minutes, or 53.4km per patient appointment. This was associated with a saving of $30.85 per appointment for fuel/parking. Calculations didn’t include additional costs associated with time off work/personal leave. Care plans were developed and communicated to GPs for all patients.
Conclusion:
A Telehealth survivorship model, with early subsequent GP review facilitates the delivery of high-quality care close to home and reduces the time and financial burden on patients.