Background: Patient demand for alcohol and other drugs services currently far outstrips the capacity of the sector, a challenge that becomes more pronounced in regional and rural areas where specialist services are minimal. Here we describe a telehealth-based opioid substitution therapy (OST) clinic, established in partnership with several Victorian health services. This model has enabled residents of a regional Victorian city to access previously unavailable therapy.
Implementation: With local coordination, the clinic has reviewed and commenced 23 patients on OST, all via telehealth consultations with Addiction Medicine Specialists based remotely.
Conclusion: The clinic’s preliminary successes in supporting patients to commence or maintain OST locally demonstrate an innovative solution and a model where patients living in regional and rural areas have similar access to OST as their metropolitan counterparts.