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Gardiner FW, Schofield Z, Hendry M, Jones K, Smallacombe M, Steere M, Beach J, MacIsaac M, Greenberg R, Crawford C, Trivett M, Morris J, Spring B, Quinlan F, Churilov L, Rallah-Baker K, Gardiner E, O’Donnell J. A novel COVID-19 program, delivering vaccines throughout rural and remote Australia. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1019536. [PMID: 37529430 PMCID: PMC10390067 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1019536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The 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. Methods This 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. Findings Ninety-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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fergus W. Gardiner
- Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- The Rural Clinical School of Western Australia, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Zoe Schofield
- Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- CDU Menzies School of Medicine, Darwin, NT, Australia
| | - Miranda Hendry
- Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Kate Jones
- Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | | | - Mardi Steere
- Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Jenny Beach
- Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | | | | | - Candice Crawford
- Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Melanie Trivett
- Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Judah Morris
- Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Breeanna Spring
- Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- Molly Wardagua Research Centre, Faculty of Health, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia
| | - Frank Quinlan
- Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Leonid Churilov
- Melbourne Brain Centre at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | | | - Elli Gardiner
- Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - John O’Donnell
- Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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Raeesi A, Kiani B, Hesami A, Goshayeshi L, Firouraghi N, MohammadEbrahimi S, Hashtarkhani S. Access to the COVID-19 services during the pandemic - a scoping review. GEOSPATIAL HEALTH 2022; 17. [PMID: 35352541 DOI: 10.4081/gh.2022.1079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Raeesi
- Department of Medical Informatics, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad.
| | - Behzad Kiani
- Department of Medical Informatics, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad.
| | - Azam Hesami
- Lab Solutions company Located at Science and Technology Park, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran.
| | - Ladan Goshayeshi
- Surgical Oncology Research Center, Imam Reza Hospital, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad; Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad.
| | - Neda Firouraghi
- Department of Medical Informatics, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad.
| | - Shahab MohammadEbrahimi
- Department of Medical Informatics, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad.
| | - Soheil Hashtarkhani
- Department of Health Information Technology, Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences, Neyshabur.
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