The researchers have partnered with Kyabram District Health service to make their project as accessible as possible.
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Patrick Phillips
Wouldn’t it be great if you could manage your chronic health condition without having to hop on a train to Melbourne just to see a specialist?
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It might seem fanciful, but researchers at La Trobe University are trying to make it a reality for those living with type two diabetes in and around Kyabram — and they need your help.
The team, led by principal investigator Dr Tshepo Rasekaba, a senior research fellow at La Trobe University’s John Richards Centre for Rural Ageing Research, is looking to set up a virtual diabetes clinic to complement pre-existing local services.
The project consists of two stages: co-design, where they investigate what services residents currently are accessing and plan their virtual offerings around them; and implementation, where they bring the clinic to life.
“We’re coming to people to say, ‘we’re proposing to provide the care you need via technology’,” Dr Rasekaba said.
“Telehealth, or providing healthcare via technology has been done for many, many years.
“Even though there’s evidence it has an effect on outcomes, the problem is always, how do we best deploy this technology?”
The team is in the process of fleshing out the answer, asking residents of Kyabram and surrounding towns living with type two diabetes to fill out a survey about their current care routines and their trust in digital healthcare.
Dr Tshepo Rasekaba says he’s passionate about making a difference in the lives of people living with diabetes and ensuring everyone gets high quality of care.
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Supplied
“It’s not uncommon for people living in rural and regional communities to not have access to the care they need (because) the workforce is unavailable or overbooked in their locality,” Dr Rasekaba said.
“For example, some of the key people in the care and management of diabetes include endocrinologists, podiatrists, diabetes educators and exercise physiologists, etc, and sometimes rural communities and health services are hard-pressed to get all of those specialities in.
“There is no reason why some of the services by some of the disciplines involved in diabetes care can’t be provided via technology.”
While delivering services through technology offers obvious benefits, it also has its downsides, something the team is well aware of.
It has partnered with Kyabram District Health Service to try to make the project as accessible as possible, offering physical copies of the survey at the hospital and some of its partners during the co-design period.
The researchers have also committed to utilising the hospital’s infrastructure in the implementation of any potential treatment model, allowing people who may struggle with, or not have access to, technology to attend in-person and get help connecting with a specialist.
The survey is open for another two weeks, and Dr Rasekaba is urging people to engage with it.
“We need to understand from people with diabetes how we can implement this thing,” he said.
“It’s a service we think is needed and can help mitigate some of the adverse effects of diabetes being poorly managed simply because people’s outcomes are dependent on the postcode they live in.
“People living in and around Kyabram should be able to have just as good quality of care as anywhere else, the only difference is how it gets provided, and technology gives us the opportunity to do that.”
To complete the survey, visit tinyurl.com/3tue5bw2, call 03 5444 7676, or attend Kyabram District Health Service and ask for a physical copy.
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