ECG Flash is a Queensland Cardiac Clinical Network initiative that provides rural and remote clinicians 24/7 access to urgent specialist cardiology advice.
When a patient presents at emergency and an ECG (Electrocardiogram) is taken, the system lets clinicians send time critical, difficult-to-interpret ECGs straight to an on-call cardiologist to prompt rapid consultation.
Provide rural and remote clinicians with 24/7 access to urgent specialist cardiology advice.
During a heart attack, time equals muscle. The longer it takes to get life-saving treatment, the more likely it is the heart muscle will be permanently injured or worse – the patient could die.
In 2015, an audit of Queensland hospitals showed one-third of patients presenting to Queensland public hospitals with an acute heart attack didn't receive either of the recommended life-saving treatments. This was more common at rural and remote sites where the mortality rate can be up to 25% higher.
ECG Flash is a 24/7 service linking remote clinicians to their ‘hub’ specialist cardiology advice – within 10 minutes or less – for urgent, clinical advice and interpretation of a patient's ECG. Remote clinicians can discuss the findings directly with the on-call cardiologist.
The Queensland Cardiac Clinical Network is monitoring the service performance including use and response times.
A clinical champion at each hub site is key to successful implementation and sustaining the service.
Some cardiologists were initially reluctant to participate due to perceived increased workload. This has not been the case due to clear clinical escalation protocols, and the model replacing many existing enquiries via less efficient methods and averting unnecessary transfers.
Staff changes at rural sites requires super users and the hub site to take carriage of promoting the service.
