Living with COVID program evaluation finds positive outcomes for consumers and health system

Commencing in February 2022, the Living with COVID program leverages the infrastructure of the National Coronavirus Helpline to connect COVID-positive people with the care they need. The program assists COVID positive people who have a low or medium-risk of hospitalisation to self-manage their care at home and/or in consultation with their usual GP, which includes secure messaging about their COVID status and pre-assessment results for antiviral eligibility.

The National Coronavirus Helpline, managed by Healthdirect Australia, has received nearly 5 million calls and provided health information and advice about COVID-19 since March 2019.

The Living with COVID program has connected nearly 200,000 COVID-positive people with the appropriate level of care for their symptoms.

Evaluation findings

A recent evaluation of the Living with COVID program, conducted by the Australian e-Health Research Centre, CSIRO, in collaboration with Healthdirect Australia and the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing found that the Living with COVID program is a valuable public health initiative that appears to achieve positive outcomes at the consumer and health system levels.

Working with the health system and medtech partners, Healthdirect Australia successfully developed and deployed an integrated model of care through the Living with COVID program.

CSIRO found that the program:

• effectively supports patient care through efficient triage and by connecting consumers to primary care, enabling early intervention to enhance health outcomes
• contributes to a reduced patient flow through GP and hospital doors, leading to the saving of significant resources and budget
• allows patients to access the right care, at the right time
• offers the potential to streamline communication, care, and tasks to improve care
• demonstrates its potential as an agile solution provider that can be scaled up and down as demand dictates.

The evaluation also found that leveraging the National Coronavirus Helpline demonstrates an ability to rapidly respond and adapt to changing circumstances during COVID case peaks and consumers were highly satisfied with the Helpline service.

Most respondents contacted their GP following clinical assessment, consistent with Healthdirect advice and the program strategy to connect people with the right care at the right time.

Outcomes and next steps

The recommendations from the report will be used by Healthdirect Australia when developing new services, as well has shaping and enhancing Healthdirect Australia’s current service offerings.