Virtual Emergency Care Service (clinician service)

Clinician service

Open: 7 days
(8am-10pm Monday to Sunday)

Queensland Virtual Hospital – Virtual Emergency Care Service offers alternative pathways that can help avoid your patient waiting in an Emergency Department.

Queensland Health has developed the Virtual Emergency Care Service service to provide primary healthcare providers with access to specialist emergency medicine advice, by telephone or video conferencing with one of our senior FACEM’s.

It is a safe, fast and efficient way for you to consult with an emergency physician and use real-time technology to align treatment and ongoing services for your patient.

How to use this service

GPs

NOTE: The Virtual Emergency Care Service is for Queensland GPs only

Call 1300 847 833. Hours: 7 days per week (8am to 10pm Monday to Sunday). You will be connected directly to a senior emergency nurse who will rapidly Triage your call.
Please have the following information ready (this will take less than 1 minute)
- Clinician’s name and phone number
- An email or other link if you require video consultation
- The patient’s name, date of birth, hospital number (if available) and brief description of the problem
You will then be connected directly to an Emergency Specialist.

This is a clinician only service. Patients can contact healthdirect to access this service.

The Emergency Specialist can assist in many ways:

1. Advice to assist you to continue your patient management within the community
2. Advise on the interpretation of pathology, radiology, ECGs and other investigations
3. Engagement with hospital managed community services such as RADAR and HITH (Hospital in the Home) to support your patient with daily skilled nurse visits
4. Connection to a hospital sub specialist for timely advice

Direct admission to hospital for those patients who do not require urgent ED care
Liaison with an Emergency Department specialist when rapid admission and care is required

You can seek advice and support for any patient that requires hospital level input but is stable and does not require urgent transport to a place of safety such as an Emergency Department.

Download a fact sheet

QAS

When referring patients to Virtual Emergency Care Service, QAS clinicians must first follow the QAS guidelines.

Is it a Queensland incident?
Is the incident between the hours of 8am to 10pm?
Is the patient stable after a physical and clinical assessment?

If the answer to all three questions is yes, then Virtual Emergency Care Service can help.

Contact the QAS Consultation & Advice Line – Option 6, and they will send through an invitation with a link to start a telehealth consultation.

Virtual Emergency Care Service physicians will be relying on a thorough clinical assessment to have been completed by QAS clinicians, as well as a comprehensive, professional handover.

It is important to note that any treatment requested of paramedics that is outside the QAS CPM Scope of Practice requires approval via the QAS 24/7 Clinical Consultation line.

A comprehensive eARF must be completed for every case and on resolution. The QAS Operations Centre must be updated with an outcome of the consultation.

This is a clinician only service. Patients can contact healthdirect to access this service.

The Emergency Specialist can assist in many ways:

Advice to assist you to continue your patient management within the community
Advise on the interpretation of pathology, radiology, ECGs and other investigations
Engagement with hospital managed community services such as RADAR and HITH (Hospital in the Home) to support your patient with daily skilled nurse visits
Connection to a hospital sub specialist for timely advice
The arrangement of an urgent outpatient review in a specialty “hot clinic” all within 48 hours
Direct admission to hospital for those patients who do not require urgent ED care
Liaison with an Emergency Department specialist when rapid admission and care is required

See the Virtual ED fact sheet for GPs for more information.

You can seek advice and support for any patient that requires hospital level input but is stable and does not require urgent transport to a place of safety such as an Emergency Department.

Need face-to-face consultation? Video conferencing is also available.

Have your computer (with a webcam) or smartphone ready.

Accept the QHealth Telehealth appointment 'link'.

Agree on management plan in consultation.

Need face-to-face consultation? Video conferencing is also available.

Have your computer (with a webcam) or smartphone ready.

Accept the Microsoft Teams™ appointment.

Agree on management plan in consultation.

Documentation

All advice and joint decisions will be documented in EDIS and stored for uploading to the Viewer.

Case studies

Case study one

Situation:
53yr old female with 6 week hx of chronic cough and reproducible chest wall pain
Normal CXR, normal sputum, Normal ECG, nil signs of DVT
Nil sig b/d hx except for being a heavy smoker
Ex: BP 178/108, otherwise normal vitals and exam.

GP question:
Would you suggest sending the patient to ED for chest pain workup?

VED FACEM Advice:
Urgent D-dimer, troponin and exercise stress test in community setting, CTPA if D-dimer positive.

Outcome:
GP was happy to investigate and manage the patient in the community, patient very happy with plan to continue care without the need to present to an emergency department.

Case study two

Situation:
11yo male patient seen the previous day after being kneed in the face playing football. GP had organised a CT which was performed today.
CT showed un-displaced # right infraorbital region with associated hematoma but no entrapment of the ocular muscle.
Physical examination including eye examination apart from the localised swelling was normal.

GP question:
Does this patient need assessment in the ED?

VED FACEM Advice:
Optometrist review to ensure no eye injury, referral to QCH Max Fax service for follow of the facial fracture as an outpatient.

Outcome:
GP happy with plan and to contact patient.
Visit to emergency department avoided.

Case study three

Situation:
3yr old patient presents to GP with inner upper lip laceration post fall whilst running.
Laceration did not extend through outer lip or vermillion border.
Nil concerns re potential dental or head injury.

GP question:
Advice sort re closure with sutures verses healing via secondary intention, and role for prophylactic antibiotics.

VED FACEM Advice:
Advice for thorough irrigation with normal saline. Allow healing by secondary intention.
Advice re caution with hot or cold foods for next 24 – 48hours, and simple analgesia.
No role for prophylactic antibiotics providing wound well irrigated

Outcome:
GP and parents happy with plan. Emergency Department visit avoided.