Optimising aeromedical retrievals in remote Northern Territory

Residents of remote and very remote NT Aboriginal communities have high rates of aeromedical retrievals, ED presentations, avoidable hospitalisations and mortality, and lower life expectancy than other Australians (Zhao et al, 2013).

This research project will leverage learnings from a previous evaluation of changes to the Central Australian retrieval model introduced in 2018. The evaluation revealed that the new Central Australian retrieval model more efficiently connected remote clinic staff via telehealth to critical care physicians and improved accessibility to GP consultations. This model achieved great impact (Mathew et al, 2022; Green et al, 2022; Russell et al., 2024), including:

  • 10% reductions in retrievals, ED presentations, and hospital admissions;
  • 23% shorter hospital stays; and
  • improved workflow efficiencies for ED physicians.

However, threats to the sustainability of the model were identified, as were areas where the model could be further strengthened – for example through enhanced data collection and monitoring.
Our research team comprises remote health services researchers and NT Health clinicians with an in-depth knowledge of past and current retrieval models. We will engage with NT Health, retrieval services and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services through the project Steering Committee.

Project aims:
  • Investigate similarities and differences in aeromedical retrieval model characteristics between the Top End, Big Rivers and East Arnhem Regional Health Service (TERHS) & Central Australia and Barkly Regions; 
  • Evaluate and address key threats to sustainability and suggestions for improvement of Central Australia’s retrieval model identified in the recent evaluation and the TERHS re-designed retrieval model; and 
  • Strengthen existing monitoring and evaluation of aeromedical retrieval outcomes in remote NT thereby enabling continuous improvement of NT’s remote aeromedical retrieval system.
Key staff:

Dr Deborah Russell
Dr Richard Johnson
Prof John Wakerman
Dr Adrienne Deans
Dr Petra Niclasen
Dr Benxiang Zeng
Ms Lorraine Liddle
Dr Yuejen Zhao
Dr Ruth Derkenne
Dr John Roe
Dr Tamsin Cockayne
Mr Andrew Urquhart
Assoc Prof Lisa Vermeulen