Overview
Background
Helen works across a range of projects in both the research and consultancy arms of the Centre for Online Health, Centre for Health Services Research. Her focus is on the effective use of technology to increase access to health interventions (e.g. online psychoeducational tools for carers; telehealth implementation, telemental health and allied health) and increasing health literacy in the community (e.g. dementia knowledge and digital health). She is particularly interested in using health technology to promote quality end-of-life care. Her current projects aim to increase care closer to home for people with dementia and with life-limiting illnesses (e.g. telepalliative care). In 2023, she was awarded a 3-year National Palliative Care Project Grant funding to lead a national palliative care telementoring project - Palliative Care ECHO. Other research includes: evaluation of telepalliative care services (e.g. patient/ carer outcomes and perceptions and staff perceptions); mental health interventions via telehealth and social media and; online psychoeducational support for carers of people with primary brain tumours in order to increase quality of life and mental wellbeing.
Helen coordinates a range of COH consultancy projects.
She is a Registered Psychologist with clinical experience working with a range of issues and diverse populations and has over ten years’ experience teaching and facilitating workshops on psychology and health communication.
Availability
- Dr Helen Haydon is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Psychology, Queensland University of Technology
- Bachelor (Honours) of Psychological Science, Queensland University of Technology
- Doctor of Philosophy, Queensland University of Technology
- Graduate Diploma of Aged Health Care, University of Tasmania
Research interests
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Palliative Telehealth Services
I lead a program of telepalliative care projects including: implementation of a national telementoring program for non-specialist health professionals to upskill in palliative care and evaluation of Queensland telepalliative care services.
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PsychoOncology
I am involved in an Australian program of research, funded by the MRFF, to develop and evaluate an online intervention for caregivers of people with brain tumours. This program of research has several minor projects attached to it and resulted in my contrribution to the Psycho-Oncology Telehealth Recommendations.
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Voluntary Assisted Dying
An emerging area of research, I am interested in the use of telehealth to assist with accessing Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) in Australia. Current federal legislation places some restrictions on the use of 'carriage services', including telehealth. These restrictions appear arbitrary and causes confusion and concern among health professionals delivering VAD. Problematically, it increases the inequity in access to VAD for ptoentally eligible people with a terminal illness who live in rural and remote areas.
Research impacts
Year
Impact measures
2023
Invited participant to Parliamentary Friends of Palliative Care Event - Australian Parliament
Invited guest to the Australian Institute of International Affairs Queensland Annual Dinner with Senator Murray Watt at Queensland Parliamentary Annexe
Invited speaker to IndOZ Conference 2023 - A meeting between Indonesian and Australian industry, government and business to discuss partnerships and opportunities.
Invited speaker to the Queensland Health Allied Health Clinical Educator Forum
Invitation to speak at the Brisbane Cancer Conference - Ms Monica Taylor will speak on my behalf
Invited guest and exhibitor (promoting my palliative care work) at the Brisbane North PHN Palliative Care Evening for Primary Care
Invited guest (only research focussed guest) at the Queensland Voluntary Assisted Dying Implementation Conference
Contributed to development of the Psycho-Oncollogy Telehealth Recommendations
2022
Course leader for the Australia Awards in Indonesia - Upskilling Indonesian government and industry personnel in digital health implementation and evaluation.
Invited to meet with DFAT personnel at the Australian Embassy - Jakarta, Indonesia to discuss transnational digital health collaboration needs and potentials.
Developed and facilitated a telementoring Palliative Care service reaching national and international participants.
2021
Co-developed a telementoring dementia service with Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council services
2020
Involvement in the delivery of numerous webinars to support the rapid uptake of telehealth during COVID-19. These included a recorded webinar for the Western Queensland PHN and the Centre for Online Health Telehealth Forum which reached people across Australia and overseas. I am also involved in webinars and podcasts, planned for September, for two multinational pharmaceutical companies.
Contribution to online publishing and promotion of Quick Guides for Telehealth (Caffery, Hobson, Mothershaw, Haydon, Snoswell, Thomas, Zurynski, Smith K-L, Clay & Smith AC). https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:6eb6f3b
Highlighting the use of telehealth during COVID-19 restrictions in a Croakey article, Snoswell, Mehrotra, Thomas, Smith K, Haydon, Caffery & Smith AC. "Making the most of telehealth in COVID-19 responses, and beyond" March 2020 https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:3d6cf9d
2019
UQ Partners in Research Excellence Award - Commendation
Atom Film Award Finalist – Co-Director of DREAMT: Using telehealth to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People with dementia
Works
Search Professor Helen Haydon’s works on UQ eSpace
2019
Journal Article
A cost-consequence analysis comparing patient travel, outreach, and telehealth clinic models for a specialist diabetes service to Indigenous people in Queensland
Snoswell, Centaine L, Caffery, Liam J, Haydon, Helen M, Wickramasinghe, Sumudu I, Crumblin, Kerry and Smith, Anthony C (2019). A cost-consequence analysis comparing patient travel, outreach, and telehealth clinic models for a specialist diabetes service to Indigenous people in Queensland. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 25 (9), 537-544. doi: 10.1177/1357633x19873239
2019
Other Outputs
Cairns and Hinterland HHS: review of current telehealth model of service and recommendations for telehealth service expansion
Smith, Anthony , Caffery, Liam , Haydon, Helen M. and Snoswell, Centaine (2019). Cairns and Hinterland HHS: review of current telehealth model of service and recommendations for telehealth service expansion. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Centre for Online Health, The University of Queensland.
2019
Conference Publication
Fundamentals of telehealth - SFT19 workshop
Smith, A. C., Caffery, Liam and Haydon, Helen (2019). Fundamentals of telehealth - SFT19 workshop. Successes and Failures in Telehealth - 2019 (SFT19), Gold Coast, Australia, 20-22 October 2019.
2017
Journal Article
Examining women's alcohol consumption: the theory of planned behavior and self-identity
Haydon, Helen M., Obst, Patricia L. and Lewis, Ioni (2017). Examining women's alcohol consumption: the theory of planned behavior and self-identity. Substance Use & Misuse, 53 (1), 128-136. doi: 10.1080/10826084.2017.1327972
2016
Journal Article
Beliefs underlying women’s intentions to consume alcohol
Haydon, Helen M., Obst, Patricia L. and Lewis, Ioni (2016). Beliefs underlying women’s intentions to consume alcohol. BMC Women's Health, 16 (36) 36. doi: 10.1186/s12905-016-0317-3
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Helen Haydon is:
- Available for supervision
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Available projects
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The Role of Telehealth in Voluntary Assisted Dying
Using strict eligibility criteria, Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) laws are now passed in all Australian states. VAD permits an eligible person with a terminal illness to end their life through either self-administration or practitioner-administration of a VAD medication. VAD enables “people who are suffering and dying to choose the manner and timing of their death”. Although choice is a central tenet of VAD, people living in rural and remote locations lack choice if local health services are not providers.
Telehealth effectively increases access to healthcare for such underserved populations. However, under federal legislation it may be a criminal offence for clinicians to discuss VAD via telehealth. Clinicians are uncertain about how to support people in rural and remote communities. Overseas, when appropriate, telehealth supports people to access VAD. This research investigates the impact of using (or not using) telehealth as a means of accessing VAD services on clinicians and consumers.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Master Philosophy
Building grief literacy in residential aged care facilities in rural Far North Queensland as part of a virtual care model.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Centaine Snoswell
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Doctor Philosophy
The feasibility of the decentralised clinical trial model in Australia
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Nicole Hartley, Associate Professor Chelsea Dobbins
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Doctor Philosophy
The feasibility of the decentralised clinical trial model in Australia
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Nicole Hartley, Associate Professor Chelsea Dobbins
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Doctor Philosophy
The feasibility of the decentralised clinical trial model in Australia
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Nicole Hartley, Associate Professor Chelsea Dobbins
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Doctor Philosophy
AI companions: opportunities and risks for the wellbeing of Australian adolescent girls
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Liam Caffery, Dr Centaine Snoswell
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Doctor Philosophy
Integrating telehealth into allied health services
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Elizabeth Ward, Professor Liam Caffery, Dr Emma Thomas
Completed supervision
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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
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Anthony Smith
Media
Enquiries
Contact Dr Helen Haydon directly for media enquiries about:
- telehealth
- telehealth palliative
- telepalliative
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