Queensland is set to introduce a telestroke service following a A$5.8 million ($4 million) commitment from the state government.

Targeted to be launched in 2024, the virtual telestroke service seeks to support about two million citizens living in rural and regional areas where there is minimal or no stroke specialist coverage. 

Based on a media release, the service will allow stroke specialists to "assess brain scans and view patients remotely via video to effectively diagnose and decide on a treatment plan as quickly as possible."

WHY ​IT MATTERS

Queensland remains the only state in Australia today without a telestroke service, according to the Stroke Foundation. Implementing such a service could have not come at a more opportune time when around 4,000 Queenslanders have been projected to experience a stroke this year, Queensland Health noted. 

Telestroke service can expand access to highly effective troke therapies, such as clot-dissolving drugs or clot retrieval procedures, while raising the speed at which the treatment is given, leading to reduced risk of long-term disability. It can also increase the rate of thrombolysis administered in regional hospitals. 

Moreover, the service is expected to greatly benefit those living in remote and regional areas, who are said to be 17% more likely to experience stroke than those living in metropolitan communities. 

THE LARGER TREND

In other states, Western Australia is entering the second phase of implementation of its telestroke service with a plan to offer the service 24/7 this year.

Last year, SA Health started delivering its telestroke service via cloud-based platform Zeus. The telehealth system has been deployed across 61 hospitals in regional SA and Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. 

ON THE RECORD

"The decentralised nature of Queensland poses specific healthcare challenges, and this includes ensuring time-critical care for stroke patients. We believe all Queenslanders should have access to life-saving medical services regardless of their location," said Shannon Fentiman, Queensland minister for health, mental health and ambulance services and women.

"It is critical that Australians, regardless of their postcode, have access to equitable and immediate stroke treatment and that’s exactly what Queensland Telestroke service will deliver," Stroke Foundation CEO Dr Lisa Murphy also commented.