Australia hospital adopts Teladoc telesurgery to boost rural care
QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA — Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service (CQHHS) is pushing for better rural healthcare with a new telesurgery platform from Teladoc, enabling remote surgical support across three hospitals.
Enhancing rural healthcare delivery with remote surgery platform
The platform will fill the knowledge gaps of exerting surgical services in the Rockhampton, Gladstone, and Emerald hospitals using Teladoc telesurgery. CQHHS cuts down on the transfer of patients by letting the experts control processes remotely, saving them time, money, and risks that long-distance traveling implies.
Dr. Andrew Scott, a rural generalist and clinical director of Capricorn Coast Hospital, observes that the technology helps beds to be free and that they make timely interventions so that there are no advanced complications of diseases.
“Having the knowledge that any clinician could dial in to support a colleague and say ‘I’m going to be here for you, let’s get the patients cared for there’ means the clinicians are doing more and feeling more valuable to the local community,” Dr. Scott said.
Clinicians gain real-time support, boosting confidence in complex cases. Christina McInally highlights how the platform combats isolation among rural staff, improving retention.
“The most exciting thing about this is clinicians feeling supported,” McInally expressed.
With over 4,500 staff across 12 hospitals, CQHHS sees this as a workforce sustainability tool, ensuring specialists can mentor local teams without physical presence.
Accelerating training and streamlining credentialing
It is also changing how surgery is taught, as residents are now allowed to view and be part of the procedures through livestreams. Interactive elements provide the speedy hands-on training option, accelerating the certification of the CQHHS trainees.
This is important in areas where there are constraints on the number of specialists, and thus competencies are built without any undue delay.
Additionally, Teladoc’s system simplifies proctoring and hospital accreditations. McInally acknowledges initial surgeon hesitancy but emphasizes adapting to “over-the-shoulder” virtual guidance.
The tech aligns with CQHHS’s 2030 digital strategy, building on five years of telehealth experience.
