Reducing hospital presentations – improving care – supporting rural GPs
iCCnet provides a 24/7 remote health monitoring service that improves access to urgent care throughout rural and regional South Australia.
The service reduces unnecessary hospital presentations, enables quicker hospital discharge, supports patient wellbeing and extends the care of GPs into patients’ homes.
The service is free and available to patients in rural and regional South Australia aged 16 and over with a GP referral.
Patients measure their vital signs at home and receive support at any time of day or night, seven days a week.
How it works
A GP refers suitable patients to the service and provides them with a take home monitoring kit.
The kit includes a Bluetooth enabled touch-screen tablet, blood pressure monitor, pulse oximeter and thermometer.
Patients check their blood pressure, oxygen levels, pulse rate and temperature and upload results to a secure website as per a schedule set by their GP or when they are concerned.
A specialist nurse reviews the results and speaks to the patient before deciding the next steps, which could include escalating care to an after-hours doctor.
The patient’s GP can review the monitoring results at any time.
iCCnet train patients in using the equipment via the live ‘on screen’ link on the smart tablet. The tablet also includes instructions and prompts for the patient.
Benefits to patients:
- reduces unnecessary visits to hospital and GP
- provides peace of mind and assurance round the clock
- makes it easier for patients to be discharged from hospital into their homes as vital signs are monitored and checked at any time of day or night
- helps patients to better care for their health
- supports patient’s wellbeing by helping them remain at home
- increased opportunities to speak to a health professional
- learn how to take better care of their own health
Benefits to GPs:
- extends care into patients’ homes
- frees up appointment times for other patients
- reduces out of hours work by lessening the need to attend emergency departments, which rural GPs frequently do
- supports faster decision making
- helps diagnosis and treatment
Operational support
- A back-up emergency procedure involving contacting family members, SAAS and Police is in place should a patient not respond to a call from a nurse.
- Patients and medical staff are provided with 24-hour technical support
Service provision
Remote health monitoring is provided by the Rural Support Service’s Integrated Cardiovascular Clinical Network (iCCnet). The service is funded by Country SA PHN.
Contact
iCCnet
Rural Support Service
Level 1, Administration Building
1 Tonsley Boulevard
Tonsley SA 5042
Phone: (08) 7117 0600 (9am – 5pm Mon-Fri) (iCCnet office, this is not for the Cardiologist Paging Service)
Email: HEALTHFMCiCCnetSA@sa.gov.au
Fax: (08) 7117 0635