One of the most remarkable impacts of the pandemic has been the speed with which it accelerated telehealth as a mainstream channel for clinical consultations. Issues that were once considered intractable were solved almost overnight out of sheer necessity and the need to protect our frontline workers and patients from infection.

The surge in telehealth is most likely a symbol of something much bigger, and more profound. Care virtualisation is a concept which has gathered pace in the wake of the pandemic. Put simply, virtualised care reflects the broad range of health services that are being delivered using digital channels. Some of these are reflected in recent Cisco deployments across Australia, including extensive uptake of the Webex platform to enable virtual visits, improve communication and connect families with patients at a time of extreme stress.

Cisco provided Flinders University with funding under its global Country Digitisation Acceleration program to look at the opportunities for virtualised care. The result is a compelling report titled `Reimagining a better healthcare system through virtual care.