Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN) has showcased innovative advancements in telehealth that are helping to transform healthcare in residential aged care homes (RACHs).
At the 2024 Successes and Failures in Telehealth Conference in Brisbane recently, Operations Director – Health System Integration and Innovation Janine Cox and Senior Digital Capability Officer Kieren Muir shared key findings from a pilot project that laid the groundwork for the ongoing residential aged care home telehealth initiative.
Residential aged care homes from Thursday Island to Mackay are participating in the telehealth initiative, which involves rolling out comprehensive, mobile telehealth carts to 39 participating aged care homes across North Queensland.
Their session - Improving Access to Virtual and Integrated Team Care in Residential Aged Care Facilities through Digital Interoperability - highlighted some of the qualitative findings, including:
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the equipment rollout revealed strong enthusiasm for telehealth among residents
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while staff digital literacy was lower than expected, NQPHN adapted training to better suit the work patterns of residential aged care homes to ensure progress and the need for continued support
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involving aged care home staff and external healthcare providers was key to successful integration, meaningful use, and strong partnerships.
The pilot project was seed-funded by Northern Australia Regional Digital Health Collaborative.
During the rollout, residential aged care homes nominated Digital Champions to develop their skills and knowledge to pass on to the broader clinical workforce.
Northern Queensland PHN funded conference tickets, travel, and accommodation for Digital Champions from each region to attend the telehealth conference and hear from speakers and experts at the forefront of telehealth research.
At the conference, the Digital Champions gained valuable insights from a range of presentations, interacted with industry experts at the conference expo stalls, and networked with service providers and their peers.
These experiences and connections are already improving telehealth care delivery for vulnerable aged care residents across North Queensland.
Caption: Pictured (in front from left) Amelia Birthisel (The Good Shepherd Home) and Janine Morales (Kubirri Aged Care Centre), with (at back, from left) Alex Mathias (NQPHN), Andrea Dahms (Resthaven on Quarry), Janine Cox (NQPHN), Kieren Muir (NQPHN), Sally Vico (Murroona Gardens), Merin Thomas (The Good Shepherd Home), and Shamma Arora (Pyramid Residential Care Centre).