A seven-year-old boy's breathing emergency led his mother to seek help through a new online service in Victoria, Australia. Jaxx Atkinson woke up one night in August struggling to breathe. His mother, Brooke Atkinson, quickly called for paramedics, who arrived and stabilized him. "He was really freaking himself out because he couldn't get a breath in," she said.

After assessing Jaxx, the paramedics determined he did not need to go to the hospital but should see a doctor. This required a 20-minute drive from their home in Newborough to the local hospital in Traralgon. With another young child asleep at home, Ms. Atkinson was concerned about a long wait in the emergency department. Fortunately, a paramedic introduced her to the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department service, which allows patients to receive care from home.

"I didn't think [Jaxx] would go in an ambulance by himself, and I've got [other son] Zavier here too," Ms. Atkinson said. "We opted for the virtual ED … it was so much easier than sitting in a waiting room."

The Virtual Emergency Department is an online service provided by the state government and Ambulance Victoria, in partnership with Melbourne's Northern Health. It connects patients in remote areas with doctors and is designed to triage non-life-threatening conditions. The service is available 24/7 and can be accessed by both paramedics and the public.

Jamik Chauchan, one of the paramedics who treated Jaxx, demonstrated the virtual service before moving on to another call. Dr. Amanda Burnside, who treated Jaxx remotely, emphasized the importance of the virtual resource, especially for parents with other children at home. "I know in the Gippsland region, access to GPs is quite tricky; there are often long wait times," Dr. Burnside said. "We're kind of covering that gap and helping out those local resources to take the pressure off a little bit."

Ross Salathiel, Ambulance Victoria's director of regional and clinical operations for Gippsland, noted that the virtual ED helps provide timely care. "By using [the service], it helps keep our ambulances ready and available for the sickest patients, particularly those with life-threatening conditions," he said.

Susi Tegen, chief executive of the National Rural Health Alliance, highlighted the challenges faced by Australians living in rural and remote areas. She stated that about 30 percent of the population experiences inequities in health funding. "For communities and areas like Bairnsdale [three hours east of Melbourne], the underspend on health, medical, disability, and aging care access is up to $4,000 per person per annum less," she said.

Data from 2023-24 indicates that people in regional areas are 36.3 percent more likely to face long wait times for GP appointments, with 46 percent of patients nationwide waiting more than 24 hours for urgent medical care. Ms. Tegen pointed out that state and federal funding does not adequately address the challenges of distance in rural healthcare.

While she acknowledged the benefits of digital technology in healthcare, she cautioned that it is not a complete solution. "Digital healthcare solutions are a welcome efficiency and access tool, indeed an enabler," Ms. Tegen said. "However, [they are] not the only and best solution for the development and sustainability of our health and medical workforce, nor will it ensure equitable quality healthcare access for our rural populations."

Dr. Burnside expressed optimism about the future of virtual clinics, stating there is "room to grow" in patient participation. "We're more than happy to see more people," she said. "We're still growing by the day, and I think it was a pretty tough flu season this winter and we saw lots of people with influenza coming through. We're able to help to assess them, and provide some treatment and keep them at home and hopefully out of the emergency department."