Taking telehealth to the bush: lessons from north Queensland.
Networking North Queensland (NNQ) was a two-year project to improve access to health services in rural and remote communities. The project involved email and Internet access in 61 communities, in a region almost three times the size of the UK. Videoconferencing equipment was also installed at 21 sites and a total of 197 h of videoconferencing was recorded at 10 of the remote sites over 12 months. As a result of the project, health consumers enjoyed improved access to medical, specialist, allied health and primary health services. In addition, health service providers had better access to reliable, up-to-date health-care information via intranet and Internet services. Consideration of local issues--local needs and existing resources--was vital to the achievements of the project. Community involvement and community access were also important factors in its success.
Watson
J
J
Networking North Queensland, Townsville, Queensland, Australia. Julie-Watson@health.qld.gov.au
Gasser
L
L
Blignault
I
I
Collins
R
R
D003195:Computer Communication Networks; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D011793:Queensland; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000458:organization & administration*