OBTAINING specialist assessment will be a click away for Swan Hill residents following the acquisition of two virtual trauma and critical care units.
The new units are set to benefit a range of patients and will be of particular importance to those who have had a stroke.
The project is being led by the Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health and has been funded under the Coalition Government’s $18 million Broadband Enabled Innovation Program (BEIP).
Technology minister Gordon Rich-Phillips said the project would provide a telemedicine service which would allow a stroke specialist off-site to rapidly treat patients with acute stroke symptoms.
“This initiative which will be a great asset to local medical professionals,” Mr Walsh said.
“Access to specialist stroke expertise is extremely limited in our rural and regional hospitals but this project will use high-capacity broadband to allow viewing of complex brain imaging and high-quality audio visual communication to connect remote patients, their doctors and specialists.”
Mr Rich-Phillips said the project had the potential to save lives.
Swan Hill District Health is one of four regional bases to have access to the highly advanced stroke telemedicine technology in the Loddon Mallee district.
“Stroke treatment is time critical,” Mr Rich-Phillips said.
“Enabling fast clinical decision-making and rapid treatment has the potential to make a significant difference to patient outcomes.”
