Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on primary care delivery in a remote Aboriginal community

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted the delivery of primary health care internationally, particularly for the most marginalised groups. This project investigated the impact of the initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic on the delivery of primary health care in a remote First Nations community in Far North Queensland with a high chronic disease burden. There were no confirmed cases of COVID-19 circulating in the community at the time of the study. A comparison was conducted of patient numbers presenting to a local primary healthcare centre (PHCC) in the periods before, during and after the initial peak of Australian COVID-19 restrictions in 2020, compared to the same period in 2019. A significant proportional decrease was observed in the number of patients that presented from the target community during the initial restrictions. A sub-analysis of preventative services delivered to a defined high-risk group found that services delivered did not decrease to this particular group during the periods of interest. This study has highlighted that there is a risk of underutilisation of primary healthcare services during a health pandemic in remote settings. Strengthening the primary care system to adequately provide ongoing services during natural disasters requires further consideration to reduce the risk of long-term impacts of service disengagement.