COVID‐19 test sites in Victoria approaching Stage 4 restrictions: evaluating the relationship between remoteness, travel time and population serviced

Lakhani, Ali; Wollersheim, Dennis

doi:10.1111/1753-6405.13154

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 33 publications

(53 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A recent study found intention to be vaccinated by rural people was influenced by limited vaccine appointment availability, or their local clinic not having vaccines available ( 18 ). Travel times for rural and remote people to their nearest inner-regional respiratory clinic hub (vaccination and testing) has been identified as a barrier to vaccination ( 18 , 19 ). To combat these barriers, the RFDS engaged early and often with communities and provided locally available vaccine clinics with clear messaging about availability.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A novel COVID-19 program, delivering vaccines throughout rural and remote Australia

Gardiner,

Schofield,

Hendry

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundThe Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS) established a unique SARS-CoV-2 vaccination program for vaccinating Australians that live in rural and remote areas. This paper describes the preparation and response phases of the RFDS response.MethodsThis study includes vaccinations conducted by the RFDS from 01 January 2021 until 31 December 2021 when vaccines were mandatory for work and social activities. Prior to each clinic, we conducted community consultation to determine site requirements, patient characteristics, expected vaccination numbers, and community transmission rates.FindingsNinety-five organizations requested support. The majority (n = 60; 63.2%) came from Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organizations. Following consultation, 360 communities were approved for support. Actual vaccinations exceeded expectations (n = 70,827 vs. 49,407), with a concordance correlation coefficient of 0.88 (95% CI, 0.83, 0.93). Areas that reported healthcare workforce shortages during the preparation phase had the highest population proportion difference between expected and actual vaccinations. Areas that reported high vaccine hesitancy during the preparation phase had fewer than expected vaccines. There was a noticeable increase in vaccination rates in line with community outbreaks and positive polymerase chain reaction cases [r (41) = 0.35, p = 0.021]. Engagement with community leaders prior to clinic deployment was essential to provide a tailored response based on community expectations.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A novel COVID-19 program, delivering vaccines throughout rural and remote Australia

Gardiner,

Schofield,

Hendry

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

The application of spatial measures to analyse health service accessibility in Australia: a systematic review and recommendations for future practice

Wood

Alston

Beks

et al. 2023

BMC Health Serv Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Australia's inequitable distribution of health services is well documented. Spatial access relates to the geographic limitations affecting the availability and accessibility of healthcare practitioners and services. Issues associated with spatial access are often influenced by Australia's vast landmass, challenging environments, uneven population concentration, and sparsely distributed populations in rural and remote areas. Measuring access contributes to a broader understanding of the performance of health systems, particularly in rural/remote areas. This systematic review synthesises the evidence identifying what spatial measures and geographic classifications are used and how they are applied in the Australian peer-reviewed literature. Methods A systematic search of peer-reviewed literature published between 2002 and 2022 was undertaken using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology. Search terms were derived from three major topics, including: [1] Australian population; [2] spatial analysis of health service accessibility; and [3] objective physical access measures. Results Database searches retrieved 1,381 unique records. Records were screened for eligibility, resulting in 82 articles for inclusion. Most articles analysed access to primary health services (n = 50; 61%), followed by specialist care (n = 17; 21%), hospital services (n = 12; 15%), and health promotion and prevention (n = 3; 4%). The geographic scope of the 82 articles included national (n = 33; 40%), state (n = 27; 33%), metropolitan (n = 18; 22%), and specified regional / rural /remote area (n = 4; 5%). Most articles used distance-based physical access measures, including travel time (n = 30; 37%) and travel distance along a road network (n = 21; 26%), and Euclidean distance (n = 24; 29%). Conclusion This review is the first comprehensive systematic review to synthesise the evidence on how spatial measures have been applied to measure health service accessibility in the Australian context over the past two decades. Objective and transparent access measures that are fit for purpose are imperative to address persistent health inequities and inform equitable resource distribution and evidence-based policymaking.

show abstract

Access to the COVID-19 services during the pandemic - a scoping review

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Appropriate accessibility to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) services is essential in the efficient management of the pandemic. Different geospatial methods and approaches have been used to measure accessibility to COVID-19 health-related services. This scoping review aimed to summarize and synthesize the geospatial studies conducted to measure accessibility to COVID-19 healthcare services. Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed were searched to find relevant studies. From 1113 retrieved unique citations, 26 articles were selected to be reviewed. Most of the studies were conducted in the USA and floating catchment area methods were mostly used to measure the spatial accessibility to COVID-19 services including vaccination centres, Intensive Care Unit beds, hospitals and test sites. More attention is needed to measure the accessibility of COVID-19 services to different types of users especially with combining different non-spatial factors which could lead to better allocation of resources especially in populations with limited resources.

show abstract

COVID‐19 test sites in Victoria approaching Stage 4 restrictions: evaluating the relationship between remoteness, travel time and population serviced

Cited by 3 publications

References 33 publications

A novel COVID-19 program, delivering vaccines throughout rural and remote Australia

A novel COVID-19 program, delivering vaccines throughout rural and remote Australia

The application of spatial measures to analyse health service accessibility in Australia: a systematic review and recommendations for future practice

Access to the COVID-19 services during the pandemic - a scoping review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About