Telehealth for paediatric burn patients in rural areas: a retrospective audit of activity and cost savings

Abstract

Since 2005, the Western Australian paediatric burn unit has provided a state-wide clinical consultancy and support service for the assessment and management of acute and rehabilitative burn patients via its telehealth service. Since then, the use of this telehealth service has steadily increased as it has become imbedded in the model of care for paediatric burn patients. Primarily, the service involves acute and long term patient reviews conducted by the metropolitan-located burn unit in contact with health practitioners, advising patients and their families who reside outside the metropolitan area thereby avoiding unnecessary transfers and inpatient bed days. A further benefit of the paediatric burn service using telehealth is more efficient use of tertiary level burn unit beds, with only those patients meeting clinical criteria for admission being transferred.

RAS ID

22138

Document Type

Journal Article

Date of Publication

2016

School

School of Nursing and Midwifery / Centre for Innovative Practice

Copyright

subscription content

Publisher

Elsevier

Comments

McWilliams, T., Hendricks, J., Twigg, D., Wood, F., & Giles, M. (2016). Telehealth for paediatric burn patients in rural areas: a retrospective audit of activity and cost savings. Burns 42(7), 1487-1493. Available here

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Link to publisher version (DOI)

10.1016/j.burns.2016.03.001