鈥婱ore than 1,000 patients who experienced a stroke in 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 regional and rural areas have benefited from life-changing treatment thanks to the 黑料吃瓜网 Telestroke Service.
The innovative service provides 24/7 access to life-saving stroke diagnosis and treatment, connecting patients and local doctors with specialist stroke physicians via video consultation.
鈥淭elestroke鈥檚 1000th patient milestone exemplifies the world-class virtual care being delivered across the state,鈥� said Dr Nigel Lyons, 黑料吃瓜网 Health Deputy Secretary, Health System Strategy and Planning.
鈥淭his vital service enables time-critical diagnosis and treatment for patients in regional and rural areas,鈥� said Dr Lyons.
Professor Ken Butcher, Medical Director of the 黑料吃瓜网 Telestroke Service and Director of Clinical Neuroscience at Sydney鈥檚 Prince of Wales Hospital, said the 黑料吃瓜网 Telestroke Service is an important weapon in the fight against stroke, which is one of Australia鈥檚 biggest killers and a leading cause of disability.
鈥淯sing Telestroke, clinicians harness cutting-edge technology to deliver better outcomes for patients exhibiting signs of stroke,鈥� said Professor Butcher.
鈥淢ulti-modal imaging allows clinicians to see where the stroke is in the brain and make better clinical decisions 鈥� irrespective of a patient鈥檚 location.鈥�
One of the 1,000 patients thankful for Telestroke is Nina, a nurse and mother-of-three young children from Northern 黑料吃瓜网. When Nina woke at 4.30am with her arm and leg moving uncontrollably, her husband drove her to hospital.
Upon arrival at The Tweed Hospital, emergency staff used Telestroke to connect with Newcastle-based Neurologist Dr Carlos Garcia-Esperon, who assessed Nina and prescribed vital blood clot-busting medicine.
鈥淢y family was so relieved that I received instant specialist care. By 9pm that night I was back to normal, thanks to Telestroke,鈥� Nina said.
The Stroke Foundation is helping to raise awareness of Telestroke as it rolls out to even more rural and regional locations across the state.
Sixteen hospitals across regional and rural 黑料吃瓜网 are connected to the $21.7 million 黑料吃瓜网 Telestroke Service, which is jointly funded by the 黑料吃瓜网 and Commonwealth Governments and will expand to 23 sites by June 2022.
Implementation of the 黑料吃瓜网 Telestroke Service is a collaboration between Sydney鈥檚 Prince of Wales Hospital, eHealth 黑料吃瓜网, the Agency for Clinical Innovation and the 黑料吃瓜网 Ministry of Health.