Colonel William A. Phillips

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Healthdirect Australia, otherwise known as just Healthdirect and formerly the National Health Call Centre Network, is the national health advice service in Australia.[1] Funded by the Australian Government and all state and territory governments,[2] Healthdirect provides a number of 24/7 health helplines to all Australians.[3]

The Healthdirect website provides general health advice, a symptom checker which compares symptoms against clinical presentations, and a health directory which lists many primary, secondary and tertiary care services.[4]

History

In February 2006, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) signed a Heads of Agreement to establish the National Health Call Centre Network (NHCCN).[5] The NHCCN commenced delivering services in July 2007, with its core service operating under a single national name, healthdirect Australia, and national phone number - 1800 022 222. In December 2012, the NHCCN changed its trading name to Healthdirect Australia, reflecting the organisation’s evolution from procuring and managing telephone triage services[6] to offering multiple services with integrated telephone and online channels. This was followed in November 2015 by the change of the registered name to Healthdirect Australia Limited. After a review of after-hours primary health care in July 2015, Healthdirect Australia began to operate locally tailored after-hours services and new GP advice and support lines.[7] Since March 2020, Healthidrect has been operating the National Coronavirus Helpline (NCH) providing telephone advice to the public. It has handled more than four million calls. [8]

Services

Healthdirect Australia's services include a helpline available 24 hours a day,[9][10] an after-hours general practitioner (GP) helpline,[11][12] the healthdirect website (which provides free health information),[13][14] an app for mobile devices,[15][16] and a Symptom Checker (a guided, online self-triage tool allowing visitors to initiate their health enquiry online).[17] [18] The Pregnancy, Birth and Baby service includes a telephone helpline and a website, providing support to families of children aged up to 5 years.[19][20] Healthdirect services also include the National Health Services Directory (NHSD), [21] Video Call service [22][23][24] and COVID-19 services and tools.[25] [26] [27] [28]

In September 2019, healthdirect and The George Institute for Global Health launched a free online Risk Checker, an online evaluation tool to help Australian consumers check their risk of developing heart disease, diabetes or kidney disease.[29][30]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Australian Government Directory by Portfolio - Healthdirect Australia". www.australia.gov.au. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Get to know us". about.healthdirect.gov.au. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  3. ^ Sprivulis, P; Carey, M; Rouse, I (February 2004). "Compliance with advice and appropriateness of emergency presentation following contact with the HealthDirect telephone triage service". Emergency Medicine Australasia. 16 (1): 35–40. doi:10.1111/j.1742-6723.2004.00538.x. PMID 15239753.
  4. ^ Ng, Joseph Y.; Fatovich, Daniel M.; Turner, Valender F.; Wurmel, Jennifer A.; Skevington, Sally A.; Philipps, Michael R. (November 2012). "Appropriateness of healthdirect referrals to the emergency department compared with self-referrals and GP referrals". Medical Journal of Australia. 197 (9): 498–502. doi:10.5694/mja12.10689. PMID 23121585. S2CID 9916006.
  5. ^ Australian Government Department of Health, Primary and Mental Health Care. "National Health Call Centre Network". www.health.gov.au. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  6. ^ Dunt, David; Wilson, Robert; Day, Susan E.; Keleher, Margaret; Gurrin, Lyle (October 2007). "Impact of telephone triage on emergency after hours GP Medicare usage: a time-series analysis". Australia and New Zealand Health Policy. 4: 21. doi:10.1186/1743-8462-4-21. PMC 2151763. PMID 17927836.
  7. ^ Savira, Feby; Burns, Kara; Kalla, Mahima; Dushyanthen, Sathana (8 November 2022). "It's after-hours and I need to see a doctor. What are my options?". The Conversation. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  8. ^ McDonald, Kate (23 February 2022). "Digital Health Institute Summit 2022: How Healthdirect stood up the NCH in just two weeks". Pulse+IT. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  9. ^ Lord, Bill (1 August 2018). "When is it OK to call an ambulance?". The Conversation. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  10. ^ Chien-Yu Wang, Amy (8 February 2017). "Settlement Guide: How to see a doctor in Australia". SBS News. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  11. ^ Your Health (26 August 2011). "After-hours GP Helpline Now Available". Your Health. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  12. ^ Georgiou, Andrew; Li, Ling; Xiong, Juan; Byrne, Mary; Robinson, Maureen; Westbrook, Johanna (2016). "Healthdirect's After Hours GP helpline – a survey of patient satisfaction with the service and compliance with advice" (PDF). Studies in Health Technology and Informatics. 227 (Digital Health Innovation for Consumers, Clinicians, Connectivity and Community): 87–92. doi:10.3233/978-1-61499-666-8-87. PMID 27440294. Retrieved 28 July 2017 – via PubMed.
  13. ^ Healy, Judith (2017). "Patients as regulatory actors in their own health care". Regulatory Theory: Foundations and Applications. ANU Press. p. 596. ISBN 9781760461010. JSTOR j.ctt1q1crtm.46. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
  14. ^ Lewis, Sophie; Willis, Karen; Franklin, Marika (12 February 2014). "Don't panic! Healthy consumers look online for medical advice". The Conversation. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  15. ^ McDonald, Kate (29 October 2015). "App combines symptom checker, health info and service finder". Pulse+IT. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  16. ^ McDonald, Kate (19 July 2018). "Healthdirect launches voice-activated flu app". Pulse+IT. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  17. ^ Browne, Kate. "Beyond Doctor Google". Choice. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  18. ^ Tang, Clarice (10 February 2022). "At home with COVID? 5 easy tips to help you breathe more easily". The Conversation. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  19. ^ Nurse and Midwife Support. "Pregnancy, Birth and Baby". Nurse and Midwife Support. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  20. ^ Scott, Karen. "Looking online for info on your child's health? Here are some tips". The Conversation. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  21. ^ McDonald, Kate (16 September 2012). "NHSD to develop endpoint location, telehealth directories". Pulse+IT. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  22. ^ McDonald, Kate (8 May 2017). "Passion and pragmatism driving virtual health service in western NSW". Pulse+IT. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  23. ^ Browning, Jen (28 June 2019). "Telehealth saves lives and time on the road in NSW". ABC News. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  24. ^ "Healthdirect Australia partners with Coviu to power its video consulting service". Healthcare IT News. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  25. ^ Seselja, ABC: Edwina (6 July 2021). "Feeling unwell? Here are the symptoms of COVID-19 and when to get tested". ABC News. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  26. ^ Wood, Nicholas; Britton, Philip (24 June 2020). "Coronavirus or just a common cold? What to do when your child gets sick this winter". The Conversation. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  27. ^ McDonald, Kate (29 November 2021). "Integrated telehealth and remote monitoring solution for GPs caring for COVID-19 patients at home". Pulse+IT. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  28. ^ Heath, Nicola (2 February 2022). "How to help a friend or relative with COVID". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  29. ^ O'Mallon, Finbar (17 September 2019). "New test for nation's 'biggest killers'". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  30. ^ "New risk checker helps Australians tackle preventable diseases". The New Daily. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2019.

External links

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthdirect_Australia