Media contributions
1Media contributions
Title Are online telehealth appointments legit? Experts warn they may not be as safe as you think Degree of recognition National Media name/outlet ABC News Media type Web Country/Territory Australia Date 22/08/25 Description As our lives moved indoors and online in 2020, so too did much of our healthcare industry.
Offering everything from birth control and medicinal cannabis scripts to weight-loss drugs or a medical certificate, online health services have continued to boom in popularity since then...
Mark Morgan, the chair of the RACGP quality care committee, says online telehealth sites offer "great convenience" for patients seeking affordable care without long wait times. But he stresses that in some cases, they're "not as safe or as effective as good quality care, so we're balancing convenience against quality".
Professor Morgan says even when it comes to a simple medical certificate, patients aren't experts at their own condition.
"A first-time strong headache, something that you're not familiar with, could be a bleed in the brain," he said.
"Somebody who's got what they think is indigestion [with] chest pain, could be the heart."
He says the sheer volume of certificates being issued by some providers suggests there's "no way they could be doing the thorough, detailed and careful process that's meant to happen for people's safety".Producer/Author Rachel Rasker URL https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-22/online-doctor-medical-certificate-telehealth-safe-legit/105556324 Persons Mark Morgan