Improving access to bariatric surgery for rural and remote patients: Experiences from a state-wide bariatric telehealth service in Australia

Abstract:

The state of Queensland, Australia, is large (1.85 million km2). The provision of bariatric care across the state is difficult as most major hospitals are concentrated in the capital city of Brisbane. We implemented a state-wide telehealth service to improve access for rural patients in a public bariatric service. We report our early experiences with this service.