A new app is enabling aged care residents to access emergency specialist doctors around the clock without having to go to hospital.
The My Emergency Dr app, invented by Royal North Shore Hospital emergency physician Justin Bowra, gives people the ability to access an emergency doctor who can write prescriptions, order X-rays and pathology tests and refer patients to other specialists 24-hours a day.
During trials of the app, more than half the patients who used it were saved a trip to the local hospital emergency department.
Group Homes Australia had seven of its aged care sites across Sydney involved in the trials.
Dr Bowra told the Daily Telegraph that the service has the potential to revolutionise emergency medical care.
“We see the service as being particularly useful for those who live a long way from the nearest hospital emergency department,” he said.
If a doctor believes the patient needs to go to hospital, the app allows their medical details to be sent to the hospital.
