La Trobe University will lead an evaluation of the Australian Government's new Virtual Nursing (VN) in Aged Care project.
The national initiative uses telehealth solutions to provide 24-hour registered nursing coverage to 30 residential aged care homes across the country.
The $1.66 million evaluation, funded by the government, will measure the impact of virtual care on clinical outcomes, workforce and service sustainability.
The government's contracted virtual nursing service supplier, Amplar Health, will use a combination of video conferencing and other remote care models in a bid to support staff in residential aged care homes that may be experiencing workforce shortages.
The evaluation will be the first time La Trobe's Australian Institute for Primary Care & Ageing (AIPCA) has partnered with the John Richard Centre for Rural Ageing Research (JRC) and the School of Psychology and Public Health.
The research team, led by Professor Yvonne Wells (AIPCA) in collaboration with Associate Professor Sean MacDermott (JRC), will focus on the implementation, effectiveness and efficiency of the VN program.
"These outcomes are all directly related to the depth and breadth of the team's expertise and will ensure our evaluation is robust and informative," Professor Wells said.
The research team has expertise in ageing policy and service design, rural ageing, evidence-based aged care, program evaluation, implementation science, health economics and digital health.
Associate Professor MacDermott said the team was excited to be involved in the early stages of implementation.
"This is where they will have the greatest opportunity to provide key advice and information as it relates to the program design and delivery," Associate Professor MacDermott said.
"In doing so, we hope to not only optimise program results but also enhance the care outcomes and quality of care provided to older people living in residential aged care, particularly in rural communities."
