SYDNEY, October 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

More than 200 RFDS clinical staff provide critical medical care to rural and remote Australia  

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, today announced that it is providing the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) access to ClinicalKey, Elsevier's primary online clinical information tool, to help doctors, nurses and other health professionals access the latest clinical information through mobile devices.

ClinicalKey facilitates evidence-based clinical decision-making for practitioners on the go, assisting RFDS' provision of vital health services to rural Australia.

The RFDS provides critical medical services to rural and remote parts of Australia. A recent report by the Centre for International Economics details that death rates in remote areas are thirty five percent higher than in cities, and life expectancy of country people is two years shorter than for city people. Country people see doctors half as often as those in the city, specialists a third as often, and mental health services a fifth as often.  

"The RFDS prides itself on a long history of aeromedical care to Australia and is continually building its resources so RFDS teams are well equipped," said Martin Laverty, CEO of the RFDS Federation. "ClinicalKey gives our RFDS health professionals another tool in their toolkit to handle medical retrievals, as well as the ongoing health management for patients."

The RFDS gratefully appreciates donations that are crucial to ensure that both emergency and primary health services can continue to be provided in rural and remote Australia, and Laverty said that the organization wishes to thank Elsevier for its donation of access to ClinicalKey for the more than 200 clinical staff in the RFDS.

"The work of the Royal Flying Doctor Service makes an enormous difference to remote communities in Australia by providing a vital service to those who need it most," said Robert Gorter, Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand, Elsevier. "Elsevier is very proud to support the RFDS in their objectives."

The RFDS is best known for aeromedical retrieval, but it is more than a Flying Doctor and provides GP and nurse clinics, tele-health, dental care, mental health programs, mobile patient care and healthy living and wellness programs. In the last year they made 282,000 patient contacts, conducted 54,705 patient transports and delivered 82,305 remote area tele-health consultations.

About The Royal Flying Doctor Service  

The Royal Flying Doctor Service is the largest aeromedical organisation in the world. Using the latest in aviation, medical and communications technology, it delivers extensive primary health care and 24-hour emergency service to rural and remote Australia. See more at http://www.flyingdoctor.org.au.

About Elsevier 

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of information solutions that enhance the performance of science, health, and technology professionals, empowering them to make better decisions, deliver better care, and sometimes make groundbreaking discoveries that advance the boundaries of knowledge and human progress. Elsevier provides web-based, digital solutions - among them ScienceDirect, Scopus, Elsevier Research Intelligence and ClinicalKey - and publishes more than 2,500 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and more than 33,000 book titles, including a number of iconic reference works. Elsevier is part of RELX Group plc, a world-leading provider of information solutions for professional customers across industries. http://www.elsevier.com.

Media contact
Jason Chan
Director, Corporate Relations, Asia Pacific
Global Communications
Elsevier
+65-6349-0240
j.chan@elsevier.com

Heather Marano
+61-450-904-875
heather@heathermarano.com

SOURCE Elsevier