’COVID on Country’: an innovative model safely supporting high-risk patients in Central Australia

Mardi Steere; Samuel Goodwin; Fergus W. Gardiner; Debra Gray; David Carpenter; Anthony Pryzibilla; Simon Quilty

doi:10.22605/RRH7541

’COVID on Country’: an innovative model safely supporting high-risk patients in Central Australia

Mardi Steere, Samuel Goodwin, Fergus W. Gardiner, Debra Gray, David Carpenter, Anthony Pryzibilla, Simon Quilty^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

In January 2022, as the COVID pandemic reached remote communities in Central Australia, The Northern Territory Health Central Australian Regional Health Service and the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) executed ‘COVID on Country’, a program designed to triage cases and to implement treatment and clinical review of individuals in their community without the need to be relocated to larger centres for safe provision of care. The program assessed patient factors and community/capacity factors to triage and enact pathways. Remote living people who qualified for the program or who declined aeromedical retrieval, were provided with comprehensive clinical support, including administration of intravenous sotrovimab by daily scheduled visits to all affected communities by a doctor transported on an RFDS plane. Evaluation of the program demonstrated that it was a safe and effective way to provide complex care in a culturally safe manner.

Original language	English
Article number	7541
Journal	Rural and Remote Health
Volume	22
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.22605/RRH7541
Publication status	Published - 2022

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abstract = "In January 2022, as the COVID pandemic reached remote communities in Central Australia, The Northern Territory Health Central Australian Regional Health Service and the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) executed {\textquoteleft}COVID on Country{\textquoteright}, a program designed to triage cases and to implement treatment and clinical review of individuals in their community without the need to be relocated to larger centres for safe provision of care. The program assessed patient factors and community/capacity factors to triage and enact pathways. Remote living people who qualified for the program or who declined aeromedical retrieval, were provided with comprehensive clinical support, including administration of intravenous sotrovimab by daily scheduled visits to all affected communities by a doctor transported on an RFDS plane. Evaluation of the program demonstrated that it was a safe and effective way to provide complex care in a culturally safe manner.",

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AU - Carpenter, David

AU - Pryzibilla, Anthony

AU - Quilty, Simon

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’COVID on Country’: an innovative model safely supporting high-risk patients in Central Australia

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