# The Development of Acute Outreach Services in Aged Care Facilities (Nursing Homes): Using Telemedicine in Rural Areas

## TL;DR

This paper explores how telemedicine can be used to provide acute outreach services for elderly patients in rural nursing homes.

## Contribution

The paper investigates the generalization of telemedicine-based acute outreach services from urban to rural areas.

## Key findings

- Telemedicine has been adopted for acute outreach services in metropolitan areas with preliminary safety evidence.
- The generalization of these services to rural areas remains unclear.
- The aging population is increasing the demand for such services in nursing homes.

## Abstract

Acute outreach services for older patients in nursing homes are being developed as our population ages rapidly, putting stress on the resources of hospitals and emergency departments. Since the COVID pandemic, the acceleration of the utilization of telemedicine has also been adopted for acute outreach services in metropolitan areas, with preliminary evidence supporting safety, but the generalization of the service to other settings, such as rural areas, is less clear.