Anew 24/7 remote health monitoring service is set to reduce hospital admissions and improve patient care throughout regional South Australia.

In a South Australian first, patients can measure their vital signs at home using a monitoring kit and be assessed by a nurse or doctor via live video link at any time of the day or night, seven days a week.

The free service improves access to urgent care, avoids unnecessary visits to emergency departments and supports rural GPs.

The 24/7 remote health monitoring is for patients at risk of hospitalisation, including people with heart and respiratory disease and infections, regional aged care facility residents and COVID-19 patients with underlying health conditions.

The service is available to patients in rural and regional South Australia aged 15+ with a GP referral.

After being referred, patients are given a take home kit, including a smart tablet.

They check their blood pressure, oxygen levels, pulse rate and temperature and upload results to a secure website.

A specialist nurse reviews the results and speaks to the patient before deciding the next steps, which could include escalating care to an after-hours GP service.