Sensory dimensions of decision-making and the trouble with Telehealth

Abstract

Government rhetoric about the new National Broadband Network (NBN) positions it as a panacea to access to resources and opportunities in Australia. While the NBN appears to be an elegant solution to geographical, technological, and economic inequalities across Australia, it brings into question whether the technologies that operate over this network can provide an equality of quality. This paper examines the use of videoconferencing in healthcare, and its implications for expert judgements. It argues that while Telehealth makes medical care available where it may otherwise have been limited, there are concerns over its reliability due to the limitations placed on the sensory information available to consulting doctors. This paper is based on qualitative interviews that were conducted as part of a larger study with 92 participants in 4 occupational groups.