Helen Haydon

• PhD, B.Psy.,Hons
• Research Fellow at The University of Queensland

Objective We aimed to understand gaps in telehealth use across culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) populations in a metropolitan Australian setting and elicit solutions to support inclusive telehealth‐delivered care. Methods Three workshops (one in‐person, two online) were conducted with purposefully recruited consumers (N = 6, including...

Background Telehealth-facilitated models of palliative care are a patient-focused way to deliver specialist care in or closer to home for people with a life-limiting illness. Telehealth can increase access to palliative care and support people experiencing symptoms of advanced disease in their own home, reducing the discomfort of travel. This retro...

Sustaining telehealth uptake hinges on people’s desire and ability to effectively engage with it. We explored trust and confidence in telehealth delivered by medical and allied health using cross-sectional survey of 1,116 Australians. Descriptive analysis presented factors that would improve trust and confidence in telehealth cross-tabulated with v...

Background We aimed to define levels of unmet supportive care needs in people with primary brain tumour and reach expert consensus on feasibility of addressing patients’ needs in clinical practice. Methods We conducted secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study of people diagnosed with high-grade glioma (n = 116) who completed the Supportive...

Objective This systematic review compared clinical, service and cost effectiveness of telephone consultations (TC) to video consultations (VC). Methods We searched Embase, CINAHL and MEDLINE for empirical studies that compared TC to VC using clinical, service or economic outcome measures. Clinician or patient preference and satisfaction studies we...

Background Telehealth-facilitated models of palliative care are a patient-focused way to deliver specialist care in or closer to home for people with a life-limiting illness. Telehealth can increase access to palliative care and support people experiencing symptoms of advanced disease in their own home, reducing the discomfort of travel. This retro...

Objective In response to COVID-19, psycho-oncology clinicians moved to a model of telephone and videoconference treatment in Australia. The Psycho-oncology Co-operative Research Group (PoCoG) identified a paucity of evidence available to guide adaptation of therapy for remote delivery. This research aimed to develop consensus for evidence-based gui...

Acceptability (of healthcare services) is an important construct that lacks a consistent definition within research. Addressing this issue, a systematic review led to the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability. In this study, we describe the development (based on the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability) and validation of the Digital Health Accep...

Consumer trust and confidence in telehealth is pivotal to successful service implementation and effective consultations. This cross-sectional study measured trust and confidence in telephone and video consultations and associated with experience in telehealth modalities among people with chronic kidney disease at a metropolitan hospital in Australi...

The aim of this study was to determine the cost-effectiveness of remote patient monitoring (RPM) with First Nations peoples living with diabetes. This study was set at the Goondir Health Service (GHS), an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community-Controlled Health in South-West Queensland. Electronic medical records and RPM data were provided...

We aimed to assess if experience with telehealth modalities, acceptability and levels of trust in telehealth vary with the need for an interpreter using a cross-sectional survey of telehealth consumers in Australia. Non-parametric tests were used to compare the means and percentages between those who required an interpreter and those who did not. A...

Objectives. The utilisation of telehealth among culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Australia remains unexplored. We aimed to describe telehealth (telephone and videoconference) utilisation within a major health service and identify sociodemographic factors that may contribute to limited telehealth access. Methods. A cross-sectiona...

BACKGROUND There are numerous benefits to delivering care via telehealth. Yet, healthcare professionals (HCPs) willingness to use telehealth is one of the greatest barriers to its adoption. Decisions regarding whether to use telehealth may be based on assumptions and concerns that are not necessarily borne of evidence. To effectively address psycho...

Background There are numerous benefits to delivering care via video consultations (VCs). Yet, the willingness of health care professionals (HCPs) to use video as a modality of care is one of the greatest barriers to its adoption. Decisions regarding whether to use video may be based on assumptions and concerns that are not necessarily borne of evid...

Aim COVID‐19 accelerated telehealth (video and telephone) use for cancer care to reduce disease exposure and transmission. Understanding consumers’ health service delivery needs is required to sustain telehealth activity and develop new models of care. We explored consumers’ experiences of telehealth in cancer care and their perspectives on improvi...

Introduction Telehealth use within allied health services currently lacks structure and consistency, ultimately affecting who can, and cannot, access services. This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing allied health professionals’ (AHP) selection of consumers and appointments for telehealth. Methods This study was conducted across 16...

Objective: This study explored the risk and protective factors for wellbeing from the perspectives of multidisciplinary paediatric intensive care unit staff. Design: Using a qualitative, descriptive study design we purposively recruited a sample of nurses, physicians, and allied health professionals to participate in semi-structured interviews w...

Background Inadequate knowledge and skills and a lack of confidence to provide care have been identified as major unmet needs for carers of people with brain cancer. An online intervention was developed to address the unmet needs of carers of people with high-grade glioma. Methods Ten carers evaluated the intervention through multiple methods. Acc...

Aim: To gain a better understanding of consumer experiences with and preferences for telephone and videoconference consultations (telehealth), and how these compare to traditional in-person consultations. Methods: A national cross-sectional survey was administered to a representative sample of Australian adults who have received a telehealth ser...

Introduction: Cancer clinical trials have traditionally occurred in-person. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced adaptions of all aspects of cancer care (including clinical trials) so they can be delivered remotely. We aimed to quantify and qualify current use of telehealth and how it can be further improved and routinely integrated into canc...

Dementia rates within Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations are estimated to be three to five times higher than non-Indigenous populations. Geographical and cultural barriers demand creative ways of delivering culturally appropriate effective dementia care. Focus groups and interviews with people ( N = 73) from three Aborigin...

Introduction High rates of dementia among Australian First Nations’ peoples have resulted in an increased demand for dementia knowledge and skills among the primary health care professionals in these communities. The Dementia Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) program aims to be a culturally safe way of increasing local health workf...

Objectives: Studies of dementia knowledge (including dementia risk reduction) in health-care trainees highlight varying levels of understanding across countries and disciplines. This draws attention to the need for a well-trained health workforce with the knowledge to champion and implement such strategies. This study (a) assessed dementia knowled...

Background The wellbeing of paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) staff members influences their engagement with work and the quality of care they provide to patients. Baseline burnout measures in research provide inconclusive evidence of the determinants of burnout and how to target interventions to promote staff wellbeing. Objectives The objecti...

Objective To describe the change in telemental health service volume that resulted from the introduction of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) item numbers in 2020 for services provided by psychologists and psychiatrists in Australia for a 3-year period, from January 2019 to December 2021.Methods Quarterly MBS activity and cost data for mental he...

Background To enable services to be provided at a distance during the COVID-19 pandemic, outpatient pharmacy services in Australia underwent near-immediate reform by moving to telehealth, including telephone and video consults. Objective To investigate how telehealth was used in a metropolitan outpatient pharmacy setting before and after the start...

Telehealth can effectively increase access to specialist care and reduce the need for travel. The Geri-Connect service was established in 2017 to support people living in residential aged care facilities in regional Victoria, Australia. Using the Model for the Assessment of Telemedicine, an evaluation of the Geri-Connect service identified service...

Telepalliative care services enable clinicians to provide essential palliation services to people with a life-limiting illness in or closer to home. This study aims to explore the costs, service activity and staff experiences resulting from the introduction of telehealth in a community palliative care service in Queensland, Australia. Pre- and post...

Background Primary care providers have been rapidly transitioning from in-person to telehealth care during the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. There is an opportunity for new research in a rapidly evolving area, where evidence for telehealth services in primary care in the Australian setting remains limited. Aim To explore general practition...

Objectives Our recent systematic review determined that remote patient monitoring (RPM) interventions can reduce acute care use. However, effectiveness varied within and between populations. Clinicians, researchers, and policymakers require more than evidence of effect; they need guidance on how best to design and implement RPM interventions. There...

Introduction To promote telehealth implementation and uptake, it is important to assess overall clinical effectiveness to ensure any changes will not adversely affect patient outcomes. The last systematic literature review examining telehealth effectiveness was conducted in 2010. Given the increasing use of telehealth and technological developments...

Objective: The 2020 coronavirus pandemic required many psychologists to rapidly transition to telehealth services to reduce virus exposure. Telepsychology services expanded quickly in Australia. This article seeks to provide simple and practical recommendations for clinicians who are changing their practice. Method: A narrative literature review fo...

A large proportion of expected deaths do not occur at home, despite often being the dying person’s preference. Paramedics play an integral role in hospital admissions when someone is close to death. As illness worsens, paramedics are often called and ascertain whether hospitalisation is appropriate. In a 12-month period, Ambulance Victoria (Austral...

The current coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has resulted in tremendous growth in telehealth services in Australiaand around the world. The rapid uptake of telehealth has mainly been due to necessity – following social distancingrequirements and the need to reduce the risk of transmission. Although telehealth has been available for many decades,the...

In March 2020, the Australian Government added new temporary telehealth services to the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) to reduce the risk of patient-patient and patient-clinician transmission of the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19). Here, the MBS statistics for general practitioner activity and the associated costs are described; a small increase in b...

The current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is again reminding us of the importance of using telehealth to deliver care, especially as means of reducing the risk of cross-contamination caused by close contact. For telehealth to be effective as part of an emergency response it first needs to become a routinely used part of our health system. Hence,...

Telediabetes may improve patient access to clinicians who specialise in the management of paediatric diabetes. Due to the diversity of telehealth modes, many different service models for paediatric telediabetes have been developed. This review describes paediatric telediabetes service models identified in the literature, investigates the reported c...

Introduction: Clinical facilitation is an established strategy for introducing innovation into clinical practice. The Queensland Centre for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health has used clinical facilitation to establish a telehealth service to support perinatal and infant mental health in regional, rural and remote areas of the Australian state of...

Introduction: The delivery of specialist health services to people living in Indigenous communities is an important challenge. Specialist diabetes outpatient clinics may be delivered via a patient travelling to a metropolitan hospital, during an outreach clinic, or by telehealth. The aim of this study was to compare the costs and consequences of d...

Investigation of the stability of a diagnosis of autism, as classified by the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule - Generic (ADOS-G), in children born very pre-term from age 2 to 4 years corrected age.

Background: Changing trends demonstrate that women, in several economically developed countries, are drinking at higher levels than ever before. Objective: This study applied an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), including self-identity, to examine women's intentions to consume alcohol. Methods: Women (N = 1069) aged 18-87 years, compl...

Background Changing trends demonstrate that women, in a number of economically-developed countries, are drinking at higher levels than ever before. Exploring key targets for intervention, this study examined the extent to which underlying beliefs in relation to alcohol consumption predicted intentions to drink in three different ways (i.e. low risk...