Emergency clinicians' knowledge, preparedness and experiences of managing COVID-19 during the 2020 global pandemic in Australian healthcare settings

Cecilia Li; Cristina Sotomayor-Castillo; Shizar Nahidi; Sergey Kuznetsov; Julie Considine; Kate Curtis; Margaret Fry; Dominic Morgan; Tony Walker; Alaine Burgess; Hamish Carver; Brian Doyle; Viet Tran; Kavita Varshney; Ramon Z Shaban

doi:10.1016/j.auec.2021.03.008

Emergency clinicians' knowledge, preparedness and experiences of managing COVID-19 during the 2020 global pandemic in Australian healthcare settings

Australas Emerg Care. 2021 Sep;24(3):186-196. doi: 10.1016/j.auec.2021.03.008. Epub 2021 Mar 27.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia; Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
² Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
³ Deakin University, Geelong, School of Nursing and Midwifery and Centre for Quality and Patient Safety Research in the Institute for Health Transformation, VIC, Australia; Centre for Quality and Patient Safety Research - Eastern Health Partnership, Box Hill, VIC, Australia.
⁴ Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia; Emergency Department, Wollongong Hospital, Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, NSW, Australia; George Institute for Global Health, NSW, Australia; Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
⁵ Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, NSW, Australia; Northern Sydney Local Health District, Royal North Shore Hospital, Kolling Building, St Leonards, NSW, Australia.
⁶ NSW Ambulance, Rozelle, NSW, Australia.
⁷ Ambulance Victoria, Doncaster, VIC, Australia; College of Health and Biomedicine, Victoria University, VIC, Australia.
⁸ Emergency Department, Royal Hobart Hospital, TAS, Australia.
⁹ Emergency Department, Royal Hobart Hospital, TAS, Australia; Tasmanian School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia.
¹⁰ Emergency Department, Westmead Hospital, NSW, Australia; Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.
¹¹ Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia; Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia; New South Wales Biocontainment Centre and Department of Infectious Diseases and Sexual Health, Westmead Hospital, Western Sydney Local Health District, Westmead, NSW, Australia; Nursing, Midwifery and Clinical Governance Directorate, Western Sydney Local Health District, Westmead, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: ramon.shaban@sydney.edu.au.

Abstract

Background: Emergency clinicians have a crucial role during public health emergencies and have been at the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined the knowledge, preparedness and experiences of Australian emergency nurses, emergency physicians and paramedics in managing COVID-19.

Methods: A voluntary cross-sectional study of members of the College of Emergency Nursing Australasia, the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, and the Australasian College of Paramedicine was conducted using an online survey (June-September 2020).

Results: Of the 159 emergency nurses, 110 emergency physicians and 161 paramedics, 67.3-78% from each group indicated that their current knowledge of COVID-19 was 'good to very good'. The most frequently accessed source of COVID-19 information was from state department of health websites. Most of the respondents in each group (77.6-86.4%) received COVID-19 specific training and education, including personal protective equipment (PPE) usage. One-third of paramedics reported that their workload 'had lessened' while 36.4-40% of emergency nurses and physicians stated that their workload had 'considerably increased'. Common concerns raised included disease transmission to family, public complacency, and PPE availability.

Conclusions: Extensive training and education and adequate support helped prepare emergency clinicians to manage COVID-19 patients. Challenges included inconsistent and rapidly changing communications and availability of PPE.

Keywords: COVID-19; Emergency care; Emergency nurse; Emergency physician; Pandemic; Paramedics.

MeSH terms

Adult
Attitude of Health Personnel*
Australia
COVID-19 / epidemiology
COVID-19 / prevention & control*
Clinical Competence / statistics & numerical data*
Cross-Sectional Studies
Emergency Medical Services / standards
Emergency Service, Hospital / organization & administration*
Emergency Treatment / standards
Female
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Humans
Infection Control / organization & administration*
Male
Middle Aged
Personal Protective Equipment / statistics & numerical data