Infectious Disease COVID-19 Hotline

Overview

Initiative type

Service Improvement

Status

Deliver

Published

06 March 2022

Summary

The formation of a team of infectious disease (ID) physicians working in remote and rural areas or with limited ID access, tasked with providing out of hours ID and COVID-19 advice to seven Hospital and Health Services (HHSs).

Key dates

Jan 2020 - Dec 2020

Implementation sites

Torres and Cape HHS, North West HHS, Central West HHS, South West HHS, Mackay HHS, Darling Downs HHS, West Moreton HHS

Aim

To meet the need for specialist ID advice including specific COVID-19 advice, with the onset of the pandemic.

Outcomes

  • this after-hours team has allowed ID physicians that had very limited on-call options, to be on-call less frequently (potentially reducing burnout)
  • after-hours on-call advice/testing management during the COVID-19 outbreak in Ipswich in early 2021
  • supportive team quick to disseminate or flag things of interest to the team.
  • insight into seven HHSs.

Background

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear that rural hospitals did not have the same access to ID specialists when compared to metropolitan hospitals.

Methods

Formation of an out of hours ID hotline service for seven rural HHSs staffed by seven ID physicians on a rotating roster.

Discussion

  • The hotline service is ongoing.
  • Data collection has been amended to include data on rapid test approvals.
  • Opportunities for further integration of ID/antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) advice with patient clinical information systems is being evaluated.

Key contact

Bonnie Smith

Program Coordinator

Metro North Hospital and Health Service

Email:  bonnie.smith2@health.qld.gov.au

Last updated: April 2025

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