Since increasing its coverage to be a 24 hours, seven days a week service on 31 July 2023, the WA Telestroke Service has now facilitated over 1000 patient consultations since its inception in September 2021.
The WA Telestroke Service uses technology to remotely connect clinicians anywhere in Western Australia with a metro stroke specialist, breaking down the barrier of distance and speeding up stroke diagnosis for local patients.
Both acute stroke and TIA (Transient Ischaemic Attack) can be associated with significant mortality and morbidity (disability), especially when untreated. Reducing the time for both diagnosis and treatment of stroke is of enormous benefit to patients and the teams assessing them acutely.
WA State Stroke Director Dr Andrew Wesseldine said of the expanded service that regional Australians were 17 per cent more likely to suffer a stroke than those in metropolitan areas.
“Rapid access to acute stroke consultation and advice enables clinicians to achieve better health outcomes for their patients, especially in rural and remote communities” Dr Wesseldine said.
“The expansion of Telestroke aligns with recommendations made in the Sustainable Health Review and is a critical move towards providing more equitable stroke care to all Western Australians regardless of where they live.”
