Rural doctors often have specific training for rural emergency medicine. What they lack for difficult cases is immediate access to onsite specialist advice. Unfortunately, telemedicine programs are often designed to meet the needs of specialists rather than rural doctors and their patients.
This editorial by the Director of CREM, Tim Baker, outlines the view of advice lines and telemedicine programs from the perspective of the rural doctor making the call, and makes a plea for a more coordinated approach.
Access article on publisher’s site
Baker T. Providing a lifeline for rural doctors. Medical Journal of Australia -1 Nov 23 2015, Oct 5;203(7):277.