![Professor Anthony Smith](/sites/default/files/profiles/1081.jpeg)
Overview
Background
Professor Anthony Smith is the Director of The University of Queensland’s Centre for Online Health (COH), and Adjunct Professor at the Hans Christian Anderson Children's Hospital and University of Southern Denmark, in Odense, Denmark.
Professor Smith is also the Editor in Chief for the Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare (Sage Publishers, London; Impact Factor 6.344).
Professor Smith has more than 20 years of research experience involving the planning, implementation and evaluation of telemedicine applications for the benefit of clinicians and patients in regional and remote areas of Australia. Professor Smith has developed and sustained an exemplary international track record in the establishment and evaluation of telehealth, principally in paediatrics and more recently in the adult and aged care disciplines. Specific research interests include the evaluation of feasibility, cost-effectiveness and diagnostic accuracy of telemedicine applications. Major research achievements have included the evaluation of wireless (robot) videoconference systems in paediatric wards; and a community-based telemedicine health screening programme for Indigenous children in Queensland. Current projects include the evaluation of telehealth applications in primary care settings and Indigenous communities; the delivery of tele-rehabilitation services into primary schools; online mental health support services in remote locations; and discipline specific clinical telehealth services in Queensland.
Professor Smith chairs the annual International Conference on Successes and Failures in Telehealth conference. He was the former President of the Australasian Telehealth Society (ATHS) [2013-2015]; and remains an active ATHS committee member [2008-Present]. In the field of telehealth and virtual care, Prof Smith has over 220 publications, including 200 peer-reviewed journal papers, three edited books and 13 book chapters on related topics. Whilst the field remains highly specialised in comparison to other disciplines, his work is cited over 2000 times each year.
Professor Smith also provides an extensive range of consultancy services for government agencies and corporate industry partners in the field of telehealth, digital health and virtual healthcare.
Recent Awards:
1. Top Researcher in the field of "Medical Informatics"- for work involving telehealth, digital health and virtual care. The Australian Research Awards, 2023
2. Excellence in Indigenous Engagement Award - for "enhancing access to specialist health services through the use of telehealth for First Nations people. Engagement Australia Excellence Awards, 2021
3. Spirit of Reconciliation Award - for building research and community partnerships in Queensland. UQ Faculty of Medicine Excellence Awards, 2021
Availability
- Professor Anthony Smith is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Research interests
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Telehealth, Digital Health and Virtual Healthcare
My focus is on the creation of new models of care which deliver high quality, affordable and accessible health care to people of all ages, in different settings, and for a broad range of health conditions. Successful service models should align with clinical requirements and consumer preferences, and be supported by evidence to demonstrate positive clinical outcomes, user experience and sustainability.
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Supporting our health workforce with clinical telehealth training
The safe delivery and adoption of telehealth in our health system depends on key requirements, including developing a skilled health workforce. My focus is on the implementation of telehealth and virtual health care training in undergraduate programs (multidisciplinary); as well as developing training programs which can support clinicians within our health workforce.
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health
Engaging with First Nations health services, and planning new models of care which enable health services to become more easily accessible in community settings. Exploring the role of telehealth in these settings; and working in close partnership with community stakeholders to ensure services are designed according to needs and preferences.
Research impacts
Telehealth services for Indigenous Communities: For nearly two decades, Professor Anthony Smith has been working in partnership with the Cherbourg community, to establish a telemedicine service for the routine screening of Indigenous children at high risk of chronic health conditions. With a high prevalence of ear disease and inconsistent screening procedures, his idea was to convert a vehicle into a mobile health clinic with all the necessary equipment on board for collecting and transmitting clinical assessments. Clinical information is collected by Aboriginal health workers, then uploaded to an online database, which is accessible to the specialists in Brisbane who routinely review cases and provide advice regarding clinical management. His program has resulted in a routine screening program - a tangible community benefit—which now serves thousands of children within schools in the South Burnett region of Queensland. Since the commencement of the health screening telemedicine program in 2009, routine assessments of approx. 1250 children have been carried out in 35 schools annually. The proportion of children being screened for chronic ear conditions has increased from around 38% to over 85% of all eligible cases in the community; while the mean waiting time from referral to actual specialist appointment has been reduced from 73 days in 2009 to 29 days in 2011. The mobile telemedicine ear-screening service delivers an appropriate model of care that reinforces the partnership between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community health services and specialist health services in a tertiary facility and demonstrates a range of benefits associated with the generation of a strong community led health-screening program, supported by specialists at a distance.
Post-acute burns care and telemedicine: Professor Anthony Smith had a key role in creating the telepaediatric service at the Royal Children’s Hospital has resulted in significant changes in the way outpatient services are delivered for certain groups of patients. Having had a clinical role in the paediatric burns unit in Brisbane, he was very familiar with patients and families who returned to the department on a regular basis for outpatient care. The time, cost and inconvenience of time away from home was something he was extremely conscious of. After extensive engagement with the multi-disciplinary burns team, Dr Smith introduced telehealth consultations for the post-acute care of children with burn injuries. This required a new model of care, where regional occupational therapists and nurses were trained to deliver outpatient care, with the support of specialists (by videoconference). Instead of traveling back to Brisbane, families were able to attend an outpatient appointment at their nearest hospital, by videoconference. His work resulted in more than 3500 telehealth burns consultations in the first ten years; overall, telehealth appointments accounted for around 14% of all outpatient appointments in the burns unit. This represented a completely new direction in the way outpatient services are delivered in Queensland. Since those early days, this model has continued to be used, and has now been reproduced in other states including NSW, Western Australia and Victoria.
Medicare funding for specialist video-consultations: In 2010, Professor Anthony Smith was the lead investigator (CIA) of a tender to deliver a national report on telehealth implementation and technical requirements. This report guided the strategic decisions related to funding videoconferencing consultations through the Medical Benefits Schedule and informed the resultant legislation that was implemented by the Federal Government on 1 July, 2011. This work has been cited by cited by leading agencies including the: RACP, RACGP, ACRRM, RCNA and NEHTA.
Works
Search Professor Anthony Smith’s works on UQ eSpace
2022
Conference Publication
Impact of COVID-19 telehealth funding on general practitioner consultation costs in Australia
De Guzman, K.R., Snoswell, C.L., Wallace, K.A. and Smith, A.C. (2022). Impact of COVID-19 telehealth funding on general practitioner consultation costs in Australia. Australian Health Economics Society (AHES-22), Brisbane, QLD Australia, 20-21 September 2022.
2022
Journal Article
ASO Visual Abstract: Insurance Authorization Barriers in Patients Undergoing Cytoreductive Surgery and HIPEC
Ong, Cecilia T., Dhiman, Ankit, Smith, Anthony, Jose, Angela, Kallakuri, Pujitha, Belanski, Jennifer, Sood, Divya, Witmer, Hunter D. D., Morgan, Ryan B., Turaga, Kiran K. and Eng, Oliver S. (2022). ASO Visual Abstract: Insurance Authorization Barriers in Patients Undergoing Cytoreductive Surgery and HIPEC. Annals of Surgical Oncology, 30 (1), 425-425. doi: 10.1245/s10434-022-12502-3
2022
Journal Article
Protocol for an integrative review: patient and families’ perspectives on telehealth in palliative care
Bauer, Eithne Hayes, Schultz, Anders Nikolai Ørsted, Brandt, Frans, Smith, Anthony C, Bollig, Georg and Dieperink, Karin Brochstedt (2022). Protocol for an integrative review: patient and families’ perspectives on telehealth in palliative care. BMJ Open, 12 (9) e062723, 1-8. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-062723
2022
Journal Article
The impact of telehealth policy changes on general practitioner consultation activity in Australia: a time-series analysis
De Guzman, Keshia R., Snoswell, Centaine L. and Smith, Anthony C. (2022). The impact of telehealth policy changes on general practitioner consultation activity in Australia: a time-series analysis. Australian Health Review, 46 (5), 605-612. doi: 10.1071/ah22058
2022
Journal Article
Increase in telemental health services on the Medicare Benefits Schedule after the start of the coronavirus pandemic: data from 2019 to 2021
Snoswell, Centaine L., Arnautovska, Urska, Haydon, Helen M., Siskind, Dan and Smith, Anthony C. (2022). Increase in telemental health services on the Medicare Benefits Schedule after the start of the coronavirus pandemic: data from 2019 to 2021. Australian Health Review, 46 (5), 544-549. doi: 10.1071/ah22078
2022
Journal Article
A multi-stakeholder approach is needed to reduce the digital divide and encourage equitable access to telehealth
Gallegos-Rejas, Victor M., Thomas, Emma E., Kelly, Jaimon T. and Smith, Anthony C. (2022). A multi-stakeholder approach is needed to reduce the digital divide and encourage equitable access to telehealth. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 29 (1) ARTN 1357633X221107995, 1-6. doi: 10.1177/1357633x221107995
2022
Journal Article
Telehealth sustainability after COVID-19 – can you see me by video?
De Guzman, Keshia R., Snoswell, Centaine L. and Smith, Anthony C. (2022). Telehealth sustainability after COVID-19 – can you see me by video?. Australian Health Review, 46 (5), 642-643. doi: 10.1071/AH22134
2022
Conference Publication
Mental Telehealth Services on the Medicare Benefits Scheme 2019 to 2021
Snoswell, Centaine L., Arnautovska, Urska, Haydon, Helen M., Siskind, Dan and Smith, Anthony C. (2022). Mental Telehealth Services on the Medicare Benefits Scheme 2019 to 2021. University of Queensland Early Career Researcher Symposium 2022, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 18-19 May 2022. The University of Queensland.
2022
Other Outputs
Telehealth for the delivery of cancer care in Australia: A rapid assessment of telehealth use and barriers and enablers to uptake during the COVID-19 pandemic
Banbury, Annie, Caffery, Liam, Taylor, Monica and Smith, Anthony (2022). Telehealth for the delivery of cancer care in Australia: A rapid assessment of telehealth use and barriers and enablers to uptake during the COVID-19 pandemic. Brisbane, QLD Australia: The University of Queensland.
2022
Journal Article
Telehealth leadership, 2021 JTT statistics and acknowledgments
Smith, Anthony C. and Doolittle, Gary C. (2022). Telehealth leadership, 2021 JTT statistics and acknowledgments. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 28 (3), 159-161. doi: 10.1177/1357633x221090333
2022
Other Outputs
Telehealth for the delivery of cancer clinical trials
Thomas, Emma, Kelly, Jaimon, Taylor, Monica, Haydon, Helen, Smith, Anthony and Caffery, Liam (2022). Telehealth for the delivery of cancer clinical trials. Brisbane, QLD Australia: The University of Queensland.
2022
Journal Article
Quantifying the societal benefits from telehealth: Productivity and reduced travel
Snoswell, Centaine L., Smith, Anthony C., Page, Matthew, Scuffham, Paul and Caffery, Liam J. (2022). Quantifying the societal benefits from telehealth: Productivity and reduced travel. Value in Health Regional Issues, 28, 61-66. doi: 10.1016/j.vhri.2021.07.007
2022
Journal Article
General practitioner perceptions of telehealth services in Australia: a qualitative study
De Guzman, Keshia R., Snoswell, Centaine, Giles, Chantelle M., Smith, Anthony C. and Haydon, Helen M. (2022). General practitioner perceptions of telehealth services in Australia: a qualitative study. BJGP Open, 6 (1), 1-11. doi: 10.3399/bjgpo.2021.0182
2022
Journal Article
Considerations for the implementation of a telestroke network: a systematic review
Tumma, Abishek, Berzou, Souad, Jaques, Katherine, Shah, Darshan, Smith, Anthony C. and Thomas, Emma E. (2022). Considerations for the implementation of a telestroke network: a systematic review. Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, 31 (1) 106171, 106171. doi: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2021.106171
2022
Journal Article
Implications of increased telehealth use on organisations providing mental health services during COVID-19
Snoswell, Centaine L., Caffery, Liam J., Haydon, Helen M., Banbury, Annie and Smith, Anthony C. (2022). Implications of increased telehealth use on organisations providing mental health services during COVID-19. Australian Health Review, 46 (3), 381-382. doi: 10.1071/ah22088
2022
Conference Publication
Telehealth interventions towards equitable access: a systematic review of international studies
Gallegos-Rejas, V., De Guzman, K.R., Kelly, J., Smith, A.C. and Thomas, E.E. (2022). Telehealth interventions towards equitable access: a systematic review of international studies. Successes and Failures in Telehealth Conference 2022 (SFT-2022), Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 9-11 November 2022.
2022
Conference Publication
Evaluation of changing costs of general practitioner services in Australia resulting from COVID-19 Medicare policy changes
De Guzman, K. R., Snoswell, C. L., Caffery, L. J., Wallace, K. A. and Smith, A. C. (2022). Evaluation of changing costs of general practitioner services in Australia resulting from COVID-19 Medicare policy changes. Successes and Failures in Telehealth conference 2022 (SFT-2022), Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 9-11 November 2022.
2021
Conference Publication
A qualitative study on general practitioner perceptions of telehealth services in Australia
De Guzman, Keshia R., Snoswell, Centaine L., Giles, Chantelle M., Smith, Anthony C. and Haydon, Helen M. (2021). A qualitative study on general practitioner perceptions of telehealth services in Australia. Faculty of Medicine Higher Degree Research Symposium, Brisbane, Australia, 1-2 December 2021. The University of Queensland.
2021
Journal Article
Enhancing a community palliative care service with telehealth leads to efficiency gains and improves job satisfaction
Haydon, Helen M., Snoswell, Centaine L., Thomas, Emma E., Broadbent, Andrew, Caffery, Liam J., Brydon, Julie-Ann and Smith, Anthony C. (2021). Enhancing a community palliative care service with telehealth leads to efficiency gains and improves job satisfaction. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 27 (10), 625-630. doi: 10.1177/1357633x211048952
2021
Journal Article
Does artificial intelligence have a role in telehealth screening of ear disease in Indigenous children in Australia?
Mothershaw, Adam, Smith, Anthony C., Perry, Christopher F., Brown, Cecil and Caffery, Liam J. (2021). Does artificial intelligence have a role in telehealth screening of ear disease in Indigenous children in Australia?. Australian Journal of Otolaryngology, 4 38, 1-7. doi: 10.21037/ajo-21-14
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Anthony Smith is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Implementing Research Programs in Queensland Health Outer-Metropolitan and Regional Health Services
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Rebekah Eden
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Doctor Philosophy
Filling the gap on cardiovascular health: increasing equity trough telehealth
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jaimon Kelly, Dr Emma Thomas
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Doctor Philosophy
The implementation and evaluation of a Telepharmacy model of care
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Liam Caffery, Associate Professor Chris Freeman
Completed supervision
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
An evaluation of a telehealth-based specialist consultation service for Indigenous people living with diabetes in Queensland
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Liam Caffery
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2018
Master Philosophy
Speech and language screening for children with medical complexity: A comparison of telepractice and in-person methods
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Nigel Armfield
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
Improving access to specialist paediatric services for children with palliative or complex needs: the potential of telehealth in the home
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Nigel Armfield
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2011
Doctor Philosophy
Remote assessment and management of the critically ill infant by telemedicine: A novel approach to supporting the care of a vulnerable patient group
Principal Advisor
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2010
Doctor Philosophy
Email-based telemedicine: An investigation into service-delivery applications
Principal Advisor
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Evaluation of the economic factors and clinician drivers impacting telehealth uptake and sustainability in Australian general practice settings
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Centaine Snoswell
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the Risk and Protective Factors for Burnout and Wellbeing of Staff Working in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit: PICU Staff Wellbeing
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Helen Haydon
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
The Development and Evaluation of a Needs-based Planning Framework for Telemedicine Services
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Nigel Armfield
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2017
Doctor Philosophy
Trust Me, I'm a Doctor: Understanding Clinician's Experiences of Service Separation and Trust Formation in Telehealth
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Nicole Gillespie, Associate Professor Nicole Hartley
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2013
Doctor Philosophy
Evaluation of a brief inpatient and community intervention to address suicide risk in Sri Lanka using mobile phones
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sisira Edirippulige
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Anthony Smith directly for media enquiries about:
- e-Health
- Health - online
- Mobile health screening
- Online Health
- Telehealth
- Telemedicine
- Telepaediatrics
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