Smith and Gray (2009) outlined how care delivery via videoconference for paediatric patients delivered benefits to children, families and clinicians. Remotely situated patients would traditionally travel, in some cases, distances of thousands of kilometers for a ten minute consultation with a paediatric specialist in Brisbane. Through the enlistment of a multidisciplinary approach including email, telephone and videoconference offered by 82 satellite hospitals, a dramatic reduction in the number of visits by patients to Brisbane was realised. Videoconferencing was the mode of choice and was used in approximately 90% of the telepaediatric referrals. Specialists were tapped from Brisbane in most cases but included geographies such as Western Australia, Tasmania and Northern Territory.
This concept of providing remote access to specialists was augmented to deliver a bedside pediatric service in hospitals with no full-time paediatrician. A purpose built videoconference robot delivered unprecedented medical access to communities in the far reaches of Queensland. With more value being delivered by the health system at a local level, the hospital and health centre staff became more involved with these regional residents. Care was delivered in a more accessible and predictable manner with most referrals resulting in a specialist response within 24 hours. This service has now become a mainstay of caring for children in remote areas of Queensland.
References
Smith, A. and Gray, L. (2009). Telemedicine across the ages. MJA, 190, 1, 15-19.
Anton Cush
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