A spotlight on virtual health
There is little doubt that virtual health is transforming healthcare. It allows patients to be monitored and supported from the comfort of home, frees up hospital capacity, and reduces barriers to care.
This Virtual Care Awareness Week, we are shining a spotlight on the newest digital health solutions that have been pioneered right here in SESLHD, and the profound impact that these services are having.
With emergency presentations and acute admissions set to rise in the future, there is a major need for innovative solutions. Virtual health helps manage demand and has the capacity to save 12,000 bed days in the District.
Dr Litsa Morfis, Geriatric Medicine Senior Staff Specialist at St George Hospital, and SESLHD Virtual Health Co-Director, says virtual health also has major benefits to the patient.
“Many patients have expressed how virtual care "made perfect sense for [their] situation" and allowed them to return home earlier, making recovery more comfortable while freeing up valuable hospital resources. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.”
A core component of virtual health is teleconferencing and video conferencing. SESLHD also offers remote patient monitoring (RPM) for heart failure, gestational diabetes, COVID-19 and acute respiratory infections in the community.
RPM operates out of the Community Management Centre (CMC) – the engine room for virtual health in SESLHD.
“The CMC focuses on scalable virtual health opportunities, working alongside local teams to enhance – not replace – face-to-face care,” says Professor Jeffrey Post, Infectious Diseases Senior Staff Specialist and Medical Co-Director of Community Connection and Virtual Health.
By removing the barriers of distance and the stigma that some may feel when visiting a healthcare facility, virtual health has the capacity to reach underserved populations.
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the provision of culturally appropriate care is vital. The Aboriginal Health ED follow up service was established by Aboriginal Health workers at Prince of Wales Hospital, and as a result of their success, has expanded across the district.
“Our focus is delivering exceptional, safe and efficient care to people where they most want to be - in their own home,” says Professor Sze-Yuan Ooi, Virtual Health Co-Director and Director of the Coronary Care Unit at Prince of Wales Hospital.
“This is good for patients and for the long-term sustainability of the whole healthcare system.”
