NSW Health is trialling a new telehealth service to improve the assessment of aged care residents before they are sent to hospital.
The two-year Partnerships in Aged Care Emergency services using Interactive Telehealth (PACE-IT) project will involve four emergency departments and 16 residential aged care facilities across the NSW’s Hunter New England region and Orange.
Under the scheme, registered nurses will use video technology to assess residents when residents fall ill or are injured and advise whether they should be brought into the emergency department or treated in their facility.
If necessary, the nurse can enlist the help of other clinicians.
To be eligible to join the trial, aged care facilities are required to have the appropriate infrastructure – a minimum of wi-fi and a high-resolution video-enabled device, such as a tablet – and at least six staff members to be trained in the PACE-IT service. More staff can then be trained as needed.
The research will then be evaluated to determine what could be improved for future rollouts.
