Welcome
Telehealth has become a mainstream addition to general practice, especially since COVID-19 prompted a re-evaluation of face-to-face consultations. Like traditional medical practice, GPs adapt their approach to different contexts and needs, making telehealth similarly diverse. The goal of these education sessions is to foster discussions on improving telehealth practices. As patients have varying priorities and preferences, GPs must collaborate with them to manage expectations in telehealth settings.
This set of teaching sessions were developed by the Academic Unit of General Practice Australian National University, as part of an RACGP educational research grant titled Developing evidence-informed education modules to support safe and high-quality telehealth consultations in general practice.
As part of this grant, we conducted qualitative interviews with registrars and supervisors to understand their perspectives on developing telehealth skills. These insights led to the creation of a series of training sessions addressing key learning needs. While many sessions are aimed at GP registrars who are new to general practice, the later sessions are designed for small group meetings involving the whole practice and will also benefit more experienced GPs. The sessions can be delivered in paired teaching, small group, or larger practice meetings. Each session is flexible, able to stand alone or be used consecutively over several months. The goal is to foster meaningful conversations where GPs can share their experiences and support each other in navigating challenging situations.
Overview of sessions
Session 1. The nuts and bolts of telehealth
This session explores foundational knowledge and skills to conduct telehealth consultations. Ideal for registrars and doctors new to telehealth.
Session 2. The telehealth consultation
This session explores how telehealth influences the care doctors can provide. Ideal for all doctors.
Session 3. Whole practice implementation
This session explores how telehealth is used in your practice including workflows, processes, and challenges. Ideal for all practice members.
Session 4. Consultation Challenges
This session explores the layered complexity that telehealth brings to routine general practice consultations. Ideal for discussion between new and experienced doctors.
Session 5. Emotional and psychological telehealth consultations
This session explores complex emotional and psychological care via telehealth. Ideal for experienced doctors.
Using these modules
These sessions are intended for small group or peer-to-peer learning, and can be used in various settings, such as in-house GP small group meetings, peer to peer discussion or as part of supervisor-registrar learning activities.
The sessions are structured so that facilitators do not require preparation beyond sending pre-reading materials to participants. A facilitator guide is provided to lead activities, and resources are accessible for different contexts. PowerPoints are available for larger groups, and PDFs for mobile use to support peer-to-peer teaching.
The one-hour sessions are flexible and can be done in any order however they work best sequentially as they build on the previous session. Earlier sessions focus on basic telehealth aspects, while later ones address more complex topics. Session 3 is specifically for whole-practice meetings. All sessions are designed to create discussions that enable GPs to share with colleagues their approaches to telehealth.
Summary documents are provided for each session to highlight key learnings. Pre and post readings have been kept to a minimum so as not to overwhelm participants and sit on one website that all participants can access easily.