About

Primary care represents the frontline of the health system and has a critical role in responding to pandemics and other health emergencies. However, experience in previous pandemics has demonstrated that primary care is frequently not well integrated within overarching pandemic health planning, preparedness and response.

Subsequently, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, a focus on primary care has been part of the Australian COVID-19 response with the rapid establishment of a new network of General Practitioner (GP) led respiratory clinics a major component of this. The aim of the clinics was to provide holistic care of those suffering from acute respiratory symptoms in an environment with strict protocols for infection prevention and control, thus ensuring the safety of attending patients and practitioners and protecting the General Practice workforce and their patients more broadly. A further objective of the clinics was to provide primary care surveillance of COVID-19  through use of a standardized data collection tool. A total of 150 clinics with broad geographic coverage were opened over the first 6 months of the pandemic, the majority of which are now also operating as COVID-19 vaccination centres.

This presentation will describe the rapid development and implementation of the GP led respiratory clinic model across Australia including a review of how data collected through the clinics can be used for primary care surveillance for COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases. The proposed research will examine how the physical, surveillance and workforce infrastructure and capability developed through the GP respiratory clinics could be adapted for future health emergencies and further integrate primary care within pandemic responses overall.

Bio

Steph Davis is a PhD candidate and Fellow in the Humanitarian Health Research Initiative at NCEPH. Steph is a medical doctor, MAE graduate, Public Health Physician and General Practitioner. She has worked in public health and clinical medicine across a range of settings in Australia and internationally.  She was seconded to COVID-19 Primary Care Response in the Commonwealth Department of Health as a Senior Medical Advisor in March 2020.  Her research interests focus on the role of primary care in improving population health and health security.