Consumer preferences and experiences of telehealth services in Australian allied health practice
Deakin Health EconomicsIn collaboration with the Digital Health CRC, La Trobe University, Curtin University and Health Consumers Centre, Deakin Health Economics is investigating consumer preferences and experiences of telehealth services in Australian allied health practice.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the provision and uptake of telehealth services have surged, enabling safe healthcare delivery and minimizing unnecessary in-person contact. In Australia, increased subsidisation of telehealth during the pandemic has led to its permanent integration into primary care by 2022. However, there is limited knowledge about consumer preferences and experiences with these services, particularly concerning allied health practice (AHP). Previous research has primarily focused on telehealth in general practice rather than allied health (AH) and the wider scope of primary care. Considering that AH professionals constitute a significant portion of the Australian healthcare workforce, this study aims to investigate consumer preferences and experiences with telehealth in AHP.
This study employs a mixed methods research design encompassing three distinct yet interconnected phases. Phase One will see two literature reviews undertaken to explore pre existing literature in the area of allied health and telehealth and the use of Discrete Choice Experiments (DCE) to examine telehealth. In Phase Two, a focus group methodology will be utilized to explore consumer attitudes and experiences through a semi-structured interview format. Phase Three will conduct a DCE using a large online survey of the general population. The DCE will be guided by the qualitative insights from Phases One and Two. This experiment seeks to determine consumer preferences regarding AH services provided via telehealth or face-to-face consultations, considering various hypothetical scenarios and preferences across different dimensions.
