Title : Learnings from primary care in Australia emerging from covid
Abstract:
Primary Care in Australia has needed to navigate a changing function and environment in recent years while responding to and emerging from waves of Covid variants. This role has varied from assisting control and preparation (providing the majority of Australia’s vaccinations), to assessing and treating minor and moderate Covid cases, to the continuation of primary care clinical work. There has been significant learning and evolution of primary care during that time. The role of an Australian Primary Health Network (PHN) in supporting, coordinating, and in some cases commissioning primary care services has similarly needed to be adaptive. Areas of most impact on primary care have included changing modes of primary care service delivery (including greater telemedicine), a significant impact on the management of long term health conditions, and the adverse impact of the pandemic on staff wellbeing. For example, in 2022 general practices reported that 88% intend to continue to use telehealth consultations (a combination of video and phone consultations), 69% of practices have seen moderate to severe impact on the management of long-term health conditions, and 69% of practices report a moderate to severe impact on the update of cancer screening activities. 67% of practices have reported that Covid has had a serious to severe impact on caseloads, and 87% have reported that they are concerned about the future emotional wellbeing of staff. The areas of support that primary care clinicians have reported being most appreciative of include timely information sessions presented by public health physicians and experts enabling direct access to advice for primary care clinicians, information updates broadcast by the PHN, and daily updates in clinical management requirements through ‘HealthPathways’. Emerging from the most widespread impacts of Covid, primary care practices and clinicians have reported that their greatest concerns are for the wellbeing of their staff (firstly), and for their practice viability (secondly). Recently, 53% of practices have requested greater business continuity support, followed by workforce support, telehealth support, and HealthPathways (each at 45%). The findings appear to highlight the contrast and tension between the high utilisation and value of primary care in a pandemic response, and the vulnerability of primary care clinical workloads and practice viability. Additionally, in practices of generally small to moderate sized primary teams of staff (particularly in regional and rural service provision), there has appeared to be a substantial impact on the emotional wellbeing of staff. At the same time, in responding to the pandemic the experience most valued by primary care clinicians were identified as when they have been seen as partners, and have had timely access to experts and expert advice. This has been most practically managed through webinars, and clinical information provided through updates and HealthPathways.
Audience Take Away:
- This presentation will provide an analysis of the experience of primary care providers emerging from Covid, and the key learnings to consider as a part of future public health responses.
- This will include the areas of greatest impact on primary care, the support that was most appreciated, and greatest concerns, and the changes in care provision as a result.
- The findings of this will assist the audience in focusing on collaborating with primary care providers in ways that have the most impact, minimize effort and resourcing on areas of less effectiveness, and in understanding the new challenges that now need to be addressed in primary care, from the perspective of an Australian experience.
