RESUMEN
Whakarongorau Aotearoa/New Zealand Telehealth Services, formerly known as Homecare Medical, is New Zealand's largest digital healthcare service. It originated as a house call doctor service about 20 years ago and now delivers free 24/7 telehealth services to the New Zealand public 365 days a year. Whakarongorau Aotearoa changed its name in April 2021 to reflect the growing kaupapa and was gifted this whakatauki: He reo marohirohi ka taringa rongohia-A brave voice deserves a listening ear. This viewpoint sets out to address a number of public and professional misconceptions about Whakarongorau Aotearoa and provide a more detailed description of the depth, breadth and complexity of the organisation, how it is structured, the range of services available to the public and its clinical governance, leadership and oversight.
Asunto(s)
Atención a la Salud/organización & administración , Liderazgo , Telemedicina , Humanos , Nueva ZelandaRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION Repeat prescribing is an accepted part of general practice activities in New Zealand and in many developed countries. However, there has been little research on how this service is used in New Zealand, or on clinicians' attitudes towards it. AIM To discover the opinions of vocationally registered general practitioners (GPs) and general practice registrars regarding repeat prescribing, availability of practice policy and mechanisms for issuing such prescriptions. METHODS A survey was developed by an expert group and shared through the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners' (the College) weekly newsletter, epulse, inviting members to participate in the survey. The survey was also emailed to registrars. RESULTS In total, 144 vocationally registered GPs and 115 registrars responded (n=259), giving a response rate of 3.2% for GPs and 12.7% for registrars. Patient convenience and time efficiency for the practice were the most commonly cited reasons for repeat prescribing. Registrars had low awareness of practice policy on repeat prescribing and only one-quarter of practices had an orientation pack that contained advice on repeat prescribing. DISCUSSION Better practice systems are likely to improve the safety profile of repeat prescribing and should be addressed. There is substantial unwanted variability currently in these practice systems.