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Abstract Objective To evaluate the impact of the Southeast Melbourne Virtual Emergency Department (SEMVED) on transfers from residential aged care facilities (RACFs) to traditional EDs. Methods A cohort study of residents requesting transfer to the ED via ambulance within participating health networks' catchments from April to June 2022. Results Two hundred thirty‐eight VED consultations occurred with 79% (188/238) avoiding transfer. This represented an avoidance of 12% (188/1511) of all requests for transfer during operating hours. Conclusions SEMVED prevented unnecessary transfers and enabled in‐facility care. Integration into community outreach programmes could enhance care delivery. Patient safety outcomes were not formally assessed by our methodology.
Sri‐Ganeshan et al. (Mon,) studied this question.