Telehealth
Allergy & Immunology Care, Wherever You Are
Specialist Paediatric Allergy Care — Now Available by Telehealth
Living with allergies shouldn’t mean long drive or time off school. We recognies the unique geographical challenges faced by patients in regional Queensland. At Harmony Allergy & Immunology Clinic, our specialist telehealth service brings the same expert, evidence-based care you’d receive in person — straight to your home, wherever you are in Queensland.
Allergy and immunology care is one of the most telehealth-friendly specialties in paediatrics. A detailed history, a careful review of symptoms and triggers, and interpretation of allergy testing can all be done thoroughly and safely over a video consultation.
Allergy Testing, Without Needing to Attend in Person
Many people assume allergy testing always means skin prick testing in-clinic. In reality, a large proportion of allergy assessments can be accurately and safely completed using blood-based allergy testing — meaning your child’s diagnostic workup can be organised entirely around a telehealth consultation.
Where testing is needed, we can request:
- Specific IgE (RAST) testing — a blood test measuring your child’s immune response to individual allergens, providing reliable, quantifiable results without in-person exposure to the allergen itself via skin prick testing.
- Component-resolved diagnostics (CRD) — a more advanced blood test that looks at the specific proteins within an allergen your child is reacting to. This helps us distinguish a genuine, clinically significant allergy from cross-reactivity or low-risk sensitisation, and can guide whether further in-person testing or a supervised challenge is truly necessary.
You simply attend a local pathology collection centre for the blood draw, and we review and explain the results together in your follow-up telehealth consultation.
What We Can Manage by Telehealth
Our specialists can safely assess, diagnose, and manage the following conditions via telehealth:
Food Allergies
Assessment, blood-based diagnostics, and ongoing management plans
Allergic Rhinitis
(hay fever)
Aiagnosis and treatment planning
Eczema
Assessment and management planning
Drug Allergy
History-based assessment and management planning
Oral Immunotherapy (OIT)
Ongoing monitoring and dose review for patients already established on treatment
Insect Allergy
Assessment and diagnosis
Urticaria (hives) and Angioedema (swelling)
Diagnosis and management
Immunotherapy for Environmental Allergens
Ongoing review and treatment planning
What Still Requires an In-Person Visit
Some elements of allergy care rely on direct physical testing or observation, and continue to be provided face-to-face at our Sunnybank clinic:
- Supervised Food and Drug Challenges
- Venom Immunotherapy (for insect sting allergy)
Where these are needed, we’ll let you know during your telehealth consultation, and can coordinate a tailored in-person visit for that component of your care.
Why Choose Harmony for
Telehealth Allergy Care
- Specialist-led — every consultation is with a specialist paediatric allergist who has completed extensive specialist training in the field.
- Evidence-based diagnostics — we use the same validated blood testing methods (RAST and CRD) used in leading allergy centres worldwide
- Convenient — no travel, no time off school or work, no waiting room
- Connected care — where in-person testing is needed, we will always coordinate this as part of your overall management plan
Book Your Telehealth
Consultation Today
A referral from your GP or another specialist helps us triage your case appropriately and enables you to claim applicable Medicare rebates, though it isn’t required to book. Simply upload your referral online and our team will be in touch to schedule your telehealth appointment or book via Healthengine
Questions? We got you.
How do I book an appointment?
The first step in booking an appointment is to obtain a referral from your GP or another specialist. While a referral is not required, having one enables you to claim applicable Medicare rebates and helps our team appropriately triage your condition for review. Once you have your referral, you can schedule an appointment by booking online or contacting our practice directly and uploading your referral – our team will be in touch to schedule an appointment
What do I need to bring prior to my appointment?
Please bring a valid referral letter, Medicare card, and any recent investigation results, previous skin prick or patch testing reports, and relevant medical correspondence. For children, bringing their red book with recent growth measurements is also helpful.
What medications do I need to avoid prior to my appointment?
Avoid antihistamines for 3–5 days before your appointment, as they can affect skin testing. You may continue nose sprays, asthma medications, antibiotics, and steroid creams. Do not apply moisturisers or topical steroids on areas likely to be tested (for example forearms, legs, back).
If you are suffering from a condition that you need to take oral anti histamines or steroids to control to manage your symptoms, continue to take those medications. Our doctors can arrange other forms of testing if required after the consultation.
How long does my appointment take?
Do you offer telehealth services?
Absolutely. A referral from your GP or another specialist helps us triage your case appropriately and enables you to claim applicable Medicare rebates, though it isn’t required to book. Simply upload your referral online and our team will contact you to schedule your telehealth appointment, or you can book via Healthengine. More information regarding can be found HERE
How can I get there and where can I park?
Harmony Allergy & Immunology Clinic is conveniently accessible by public transport, including Translink bus services. The Sunnybank clinic offers free onsite parking and street parking is also available around the Sunnybank hospital.
What is skin prick testing, and do I need it?
Skin prick testing applies a small amount of allergen (commercial extract or fresh food) to the skin which is then gently pricked to check for a reaction. The test takes 1–2 minutes, with results read after 15–20 minutes. Your doctor will determine if it’s appropriate for you.
Is skin prick testing safe?
Allergy testing is done by trained staff in a fully equipped medical setting. Reactions are rare, usually limited to mild itchiness at the test site, and can be promptly treated if needed.
How do I prepare for my food challenge?
Ensure you are well and avoid antihistamines 3–5 days before the test. Bring entertainment (toys, books, iPad, laptops) and for children, their favourite foods. You may need to bring the food or drug being tested which the staff will advise. We do not recommend bringing siblings; if necessary, bring an extra support person.
How do I prepare for environmental immunotherapy injections?
Ensure you are well before your appointment. You will be monitored by a health practitioner for at least 30 minutes after your immunotherapy dose. If taking your medication or vaccine home, please bring a small cooler with ice pack.
Are you ready to request an appointment?
Schedule a consultation with our experts to discuss your allergy needs.