Dr Rachel James: Being a doctor, there is nothing worse than having somebody in your care, and you feel that you're not giving them the best. You have to think about your patient care first and foremost, and don't forget, as rural generalists and GPs, we don't just see that patient when they come in with their acute stroke. We usually know them. We've usually seen them beforehand, so when they do come in for an acute stroke, there's already a little bit more going on that we're concerned for our patients. Projects like the Telestroke, you're not alone. It's just that your team is virtual rather than actually standing there.
Dr Ben James: From a clinical perspective, we are able to dissolve the barriers that have been placed by traditional care between us in the remote community and actually getting definitive management, guided by a specialist who is implicit in their care from the beginning of their patient journey.
Dr Rachel James: And so you do feel very, very supported in that role, and you know that you can get advice when you need it, straight away from a specialist who's not only willing to take the call and to discuss it with you but also willing to teach. And then when they come back from their acute stroke and maybe have a level of disability or morbidity as a result of it, we're the GPs who take care of them as well. So knowing that they've got the best care in that acute period of time, we know that when they come back, they're going to have a better outcome as well.
Dr Ben James: By having Telestroke services, we can make an assessment in a very quick timeframe and be able to get an excellent outcome. And if there is a stroke, then we're able to make sure that you get the best functional outcome in a very quick period of time. And we would much rather see people in the early phase when they first recognise that they're not speaking properly, or their left arm's a bit droopy. That's when I want to see the patients of the community come straight away.
