In partnership with the Australian Teletrial Program
For the 7 million people living in regional and remote parts of Australia, clinical trials that could significantly improve their health were once out of reach. But the Australian Teletrial Program (ATP) is changing that, giving people in rural areas access to new medical interventions set to boost their health and quality of life.
Stephanie Sando from Roma in Central Queensland has noticed significant health improvements since joining the REIMAGINE 2 clinical trial for type 2 diabetes treatment. Participating in the trial would not be possible if it were only offered in Brisbane, which is 475km (a six-hour drive) away. But thanks to ATP, Stephanie can benefit from this cutting-edge diabetes intervention in her hometown.
“If I had to go to Brisbane, I wouldn’t be on the trial because I just couldn’t take that time out to drive to Brisbane,” said Stephanie. “I know of people who have put off treatment because they can’t get away. I’m lucky – I live in town, I work in town, my husband works in town. When you’ve got people on properties, though, going to Brisbane for two or three days is not an option.”
As part of the trial, Stephanie has regular face-to-face appointments with a specially trained diabetes nurse at nearby Roma Hospital, with phone consultations in between. Her diabetes is now well-controlled, which she attributes not only to the new medication but the specialised care she’s receiving.
“I needed a script this week, and under normal circumstances, I’d have to wait three weeks plus for a visit to the doctor because our local GP is inundated with patients. Whereas this way I can ring [diabetes nurse] Kathy and that’s it, job done, I have my script,” she said.
“I cannot fault the care and attention that I’ve received and that’s evident by my quarterly blood-sugar levels now. They’re much better, much more under control now and it’s great.”
Building stronger networks for clinicians
Almost 90 per cent of clinical trials operate only in city or urban areas, but ATP is bridging the gap, extending the latest innovations, medicines, devices and preventative care to patients in regional areas.
The program works by facilitating clinical trials via a primary site in a major metropolitan or regional centre, run by medical staff and researchers. Primary sites are connected via telecommunications networks to a series of satellite sites in rural areas – usually local hospitals or primary healthcare clinics – where eligible patients go to receive treatments, therapies, screenings and other investigations. A mobile expert workforce trains local staff at each satellite site.
After launching with oncology trials, ATP now facilitates interventions in everything from mental health to cardiology and chronic disease care.
Kaye Hewson, National Director of ATP, said the program is a win-win for regional areas. It upskills local healthcare providers and empowers them to better manage the health of their own communities, while also helping patients access cutting-edge therapeutic interventions that might not otherwise be available to them.
“It helps clinicians to connect with their own healthcare treatment offerings, as well as enabling the clinician to incorporate trials, new treatments and innovation into their patients through their practice. Traditionally, both clinicians and patients have had to be in a city area to engage with medical research, and ATP is helping to solve the geographical inequity that has resulted,” she said.
Supporting local healthcare professionals to be the bridge between patients and primary sites is key to the success of each trial, said Kaye, noting clinicians are excited about the opportunities the program allows.
“We’ve actually shown that for the satellite site, we’ve saved per patient nearly over a thousand kilometres of travel,” she said. “And that translates into returning investment for those communities, as well as building the workforce into those areas.”
Making a difference to communities
Australians living in rural areas tend to have poorer health outcomes than their metropolitan counterparts, as well as higher rates of chronic conditions,2 yet they are significantly underrepresented in clinical trials, noted Professor Jenny May, National Rural Health Commissioner.
“I think the teletrial movement and the focus on trying to get good quality research and clinical trials going in rural and remote [areas] in a systematic way is a very, very positive and welcome addition,” said Professor May. “There are a lot of rural patients who have significant comorbidities that in the past have certainly prevented them from engaging in activities like this.”
Hewson agreed, saying the groundswell of support from rural communities proves there is a big appetite for models that facilitate greater healthcare access for regional Australians.
“The passion that goes into this program and the people that have been involved is overwhelming at times,” said Hewson. “We’re very excited to be part of it, but we know there’s a lot still to do. But having that equity of access for healthcare does depend on having clinical trials because it continues to build that standard of care for everybody, wherever they live in Australia.”
Find out more about the Australian Teletrial Program at https://australianteletrialprogram.gov.au/.
