Project summary
To implement and study virtual care enhanced management of patients in Level 4 rural and regional ICUs using NSW Health value-based care model.
What is the issue for NSW?
This research will address safety, quality and health economic evaluation of a 24/7 virtual care enhanced Intensive Care Unit Model of Care to support local management of critically ill patients in rural and regional areas as well as access to specialist advice and support for those patients that require transfer to a higher level of Intensive Care. This has never before been done in Australia. Patient experience and patient outcomes as well as clinicians experience and support will be addressed. Telehealth usability and user satisfaction will also be addressed. This will allow for care closer to home for appropriate patients with reduction in carer stress. This research is especially important during the current COVID-19 pandemic to avoid the public health and disease transmission implications of transporting patients across Local Health Districts if virtual care enhanced Intensive Care can be provided locally.
What does the research aim to do and how?
The aim is to implement and evaluate a 24/7 eICU model of care in 2 Level 4 ICUs in regional NSW
To do this, implementation will occur according to a well-planned enhancement of the existing Model of Virtual Care ward rounds. Existing networks and resources at study ICUs will be maintained. Evaluation will be mixed methods to measure qualitative and quantitative data related to patient experience and outcome, clinician experience and comfort with 24/7 eICU and telehealth usability metrics. A quasi experimental design will compare study ICUs to similar control ICU and existing benchmarking Intensive Care outcomes and efficiency data for study and control ICUs will be reported