Virtual Immunology Clinic recognised for enabling treatment of remote patients
With growing pressure on our healthcare system, patients can end up waiting for a specialist appointment, or sometimes return to their general practitioner (GP) or present to the emergency department (ED), further adding to the demand.
In response, the immunology team at Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) took things into their own hands and launched the Virtual Immunology Clinic to ensure referred patients receive timely access to the care they need, regardless of where in the State they live.
Led by FSH Head of Service Immunology Dr Dominic Mallon and supported by the South Metropolitan Health Service (SMHS) Kaartdijin Innovation team, this telehealth clinic has already doubled the immunology service’s capacity to deliver care for more than 4,000 patients more efficiently outside of the hospital. The long-term adult and paediatric wait lists were also eliminated, including expediting treatment for over 1,000 children.
In an Australia-first, this model was subsequently extended to GPs, enabling them to refer patients to an FSH clinical immunologist in real time via videocall.
On Thursday 20 October 2022, the initiative was recognised for its contribution to patient outcomes, taking home the top prize in the category ‘excellence in clinical care’ at the 2022 South Metropolitan Health Service (SMHS) Excellence Awards.
FSH Head of Service Immunology, Dr Dominic Mallon, said himself and his team are especially proud to have maintained a consistent quality of clinical care while providing more timely access for patients and managing any impacts of the COVID-19 safety measures.
“I am very proud and humbled by the resilience and innovation of my team, who found a way to maintain our services throughout the past three years despite COVID-19 lockdowns, by using the technology available to us,” Dominic said.
“Winning this award was a very proud moment for us – we’re a relatively small outpatient-based service which means we can sometimes fly under the radar.
“Above all, we’re very proud that other specialities will be able to use these innovations to enable the same outcomes for their patients – we’re only a team of half-a-dozen, but the innovations we have developed could help patients avoid long wait lists around the world.”
SMHS Chief Executive Paul Forden said he is continually impressed by the high calibre projects, teams and individuals who are in the running at the SMHS Excellence Awards every year.
“We are privileged at SMHS to have a cohort of staff and volunteers who are so passionate and committed to further improving the patient outcomes for our community,” Paul said.
Read more about our finalists and winners.
