COMPLETED
Our goal
To support urgent care centres to provide timely care for regional and rural Victorians experiencing chest pain.
About the project
People who are living in rural Victoria experience higher rates of heart disease compared to people in metropolitan areas. Chest pain is the most common symptom experienced by people with heart disease presenting to hospital.
The TMCP pilot was a proof-of-concept project that supported urgent care centres (UCCs) to ensure that regional Victorians have access to timely ECG interpretation and medical specialist input, for the triaging and management of chest pain closer to home.
The project aimed to prevent delays in diagnosis, ensure timely escalation of care if required, and reduce potentially avoidable patient transfers.
Project partners
- Alfred Health
- Alexandra District Health Service
- Bass Coast Health (Phillip Island Health Hub)
- Benalla Health (Benalla & District Memorial Hospital)
- Central Highlands Health (Kyneton Health)
- East Grampians Health Service (Ararat Hospital)
- Gippsland Southern Health Service (Leongatha Hospital)
- Kyabram & District Health Service
- Maryborough District Health Service
- Orbost Regional Health Service
- West Wimmera Health Service (Nhill Hospital)
Outcomes
SCV worked with listed health service partners to develop a model that supports two main workstreams:
- A clinical workflow establishing a telemedicine triaging service that allows consistent and timely access to a medical specialist.
- An IT workflow piloting an IT solution to share ECG images as part of this model of care.
The TMCP project concluded in December 2023 and was implemented for a total of 13 months. Overall, the project has seen success in supporting UCC staff with triaging and managing patients that present with chest pain. The project saw 1,224 regional and rural patients go through the risk stratification tool, with 563 accessing specialist ECG interpretation and cardiac care. Patient transfer waiting times improved by an average of 8 minutes.
The TMCP Project has been successful in supporting and increasing the confidence of UCC clinicians with triaging patients who present with chest pain. Each health service had a unique experience in implementing the clinical workflow and the IT solution.
For more information, please see the TMCP Summary Report.
Summary report
Timely Management of Chest Pain (TMCP) Pilot – Summary report
Resources
The Rural Urgent Care Nursing – Capability Development Program (RUCN-CDP) is a Department of Health funded, state-wide program that supports rural health service nurses to maintain the skills and confidence to work in Urgent Care Centres across Victoria.