Queensland Health has awarded Nicolab a standing offer arrangement (SOA) to implement its StrokeViewer technology at 36 hospitals across the state, marking what the company says is the largest artificial intelligence (AI)-driven stroke imaging rollout in Australia.
A Nicolab press release notes that this “landmark investment” will transform stroke diagnosis and treatment pathways across Queensland, ensuring that every stroke patient—regardless of location—receives the fastest possible access to life-saving care.
The release goes on to add that this deployment “significantly bolsters” the Queensland Telestroke Service—an A$5.8 million annual investment by the state government aimed at providing approximately two million residents in regional, rural and remote areas with equitable access to stroke specialist care. The Telestroke Service enables time-critical, specialist assessment, diagnosis and effective treatment for stroke patients, accelerating access to therapies like clot-dissolving drugs or clot-retrieval procedures that require specialist intervention.
StrokeViewer is described by Nicolab as an end-to-end stroke workflow solution that enables clinicians to instantly review analysed computed tomography (CT) and CT perfusion brain scans, helping stroke teams determine the best course of treatment “within minutes, rather than hours”.
A proof-of-concept study conducted by Queensland Health in 2023 and 2024, which used StrokeViewer, demonstrated the clinical and operational benefits of AI-assisted stroke workflows, playing a key role in securing this government funding, the company also claims.
“This service is exclusively for Queenslanders who live in regional, rural and remote locations, and we anticipate helping up to 2,000 people each year,” said Queensland telestroke clinical director Claire Muller (Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Herston, Australia). “A key element of this service is upskilling frontline workers in these areas, ensuring a safe, high-quality, sustainable service for many years to come.”
“Every second matters in stroke care,” added Nicolab chief executive officer (CEO) Michael Macilquham. “StrokeViewer puts real-time, AI-powered decision support into the hands of clinicians, helping them make life-saving treatment decisions faster and more accurately. This national-scale deployment with Queensland Health is a gamechanger for stroke care in Australia.”
