Invercargill practice calls in doctors from other regions to see patients

With doctors' waiting rooms around the country full to the brim this winter season, an Invercargill practice has found a new-age solution.

Well South Invercargill have called in doctors from other regions via their computer to see patients through a computer screen.

"We're taking referrals from GPs who are not able to see the patients on the same day, from pharmacists and from emergency departments for appropriate patients," says Well South Invercargill clinical adviser Dr Stephen Graham.

A nurse stands in on the consultation while the doctor talks to the patient and directs the nurse.

It's hoped the four-month trial will see the method used in other remote regions, where finding a doctor can prove difficult.