Collectively supporting Australian health in times of emergency

Health services and organisations are particularly important during times of public health and safety concern — providing a trusted source of practical information to support the community at a local, state and national level. We were heartened to see our Information Partners in action during the 2019/20 fire season and the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Providing important advice during the bushfires

Many health organisations provided prompt information and advice across their channels to help people look after their health. We were pleased to see our Information Partners publishing credible and trustworthy health content specifically about smoke and fire. These alerts, articles, checklists, and tools helped people stay safe at a time when people were seeking direction and support.

For example, Asthma Australia produced an FAQ page with a five-point checklist and self-assessment chart to help people gauge the air quality around them. The collaborative effort from our Information Partners was extensive, and these are just a few examples of health support provided:

• Australian National University — Bushfire resources
• Beyond Blue — Bushfires and mental health
• Heart Foundation — Heart health warning as Australians face smoke haze
• RANZCOG — Statement on prolonged exposure to bushfire smoke and poor air quality
• National Asthma Council — Asthma management in the bushfire season
• PANDA — Managing emotional wellbeing for expecting and new parents affected by disasters

The healthdirect service rapidly pulled together relevant health pages to create a new bushfire and air quality resource hub and contributed a blog post about bushfire stress. The Pregnancy, Birth and Baby service also prepared blog posts to help families and pregnant women.

Over the holiday period, the healthdirect service saw an increase in people concerned about respiratory symptoms contact the helpline (1800 022 222) and visits of people seeking advice about breathing difficulties on the healthdirect Symptom Checker spiked by 50 per cent.

Online health information important amid COVID-19 fears

While still dealing with the effects of the bushfires, a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak became a worldwide health emergency. Once again, the public were seeking information and advice about a new health threat — how it spreads, what the symptoms are and how to reduce the risk of catching it.

Health organisations rallied to quickly disseminate resources and advice for health professionals and consumers. Our Information Partners in particular, were quick to provide accurate information, timely reminders about hygiene and reduce community fear through their websites and social media channels.

AusMed supported the health industry by making their Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Hand Hygiene module free for health professionals. More examples from our Information Partners include:

• Australian Red Cross — Novel coronavirus update
• Immunisation Coalition — COVID-19 Information
• Know Pathology Know Healthcare — Pathology is on the Coronavirus Case
• The Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network — Coronavirus: What you need to know

In partnership with the Australian Department of Health, healthdirect set up a national Coronavirus Health Information Line (1800 020 080) for people seeking up-to-date information about prevention, symptoms and the spread of COVID-19. Again, our team produced a blog and central hub of accurate information.

^[1] Exposure and the impact on attitudes of the 2019-20 Australian Bushfires. Australian National University Centre for Social Research and Methods, 2020.