The rpavirtual Hospital, known as rpavirtual, is a new model of care which combines Sydney Local Health District’s (SLHD) integrated hospital and community care with the latest digital solutions. rpavirtual was launched in early 2020 as an alternative, sustainable solution to increasing demand for healthcare in Sydney, where it acts as a bridge between hospital specialist services and patient care in the community.
This Perspectives Brief highlights the following key learnings -:
- Virtual models are an essential component of future health infrastructure that can quickly adapt to the continuously evolving healthcare environment.
- The partnership between clinical and Information and Communication Technology services is critical in human centred design that focuses on the technology as an enabler of care.
- Most patients with COVID-19 will recover quickly and well, however this is unpredictable. A robust clinical protocol, that appropriately assess patient risk, is required for early detection of deterioration.
- A pandemic response has been the ‘burning platform’ required to affect cultural change and wide acceptance of virtual care as a modality of care.