More than 1700 people in regional South Australia and the Northern Territory have used a groundbreaking virtual service “telestroke”, designed to provide potentially life-saving treatment for a stroke.
This critical service is being enabled through the Australian Commonwealth Government’s $41.37m Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) grant to the Australian Stroke Alliance as part of the Stroke Golden Hour project.
The SA Telestroke Service connects neurologists with a patient needing assessment at a regional hospital, supporting clinical staff on the ground to administer life-saving treatment immediately.
Since 2022, the service has also included a digital platform called Zeus, developed for the Australian Stroke Alliance, which brings together scans, consultation records and other patient information in a single database – cutting minutes off the time usually required for diagnosis and treatment.
Almost 60% of regional patients presenting with stroke-like symptoms were diagnosed with a stroke.
In 2024, nearly 55% of patients experiencing a clot-based stroke received thrombolysis – a clot-busting drug – within 60 minutes, below the national average of 95 minutes for rural patients, while unnecessary hospital to hospital transfers have reduced by 72%.
Regional Australians are 17% more likely to suffer a stroke than people who live in metropolitan areas.
The SA Telestroke Service – which receives $229,000 in State Government funding – and Zeus gives fast-track critical neurological care across 61 regional SA hospitals, as well as Alice Springs Hospital and an after-hours service for Royal Darwin Hospital.
