Highlights
- •Access to healthcare may be disproportionately reduced at times of crisis such as bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic.
- •Persons with MS and care providers noted reduced access to MS healthcare during the 2019/20 Australian Bushfires and the COVID-10 pandemic.
- •The MS community seek a single source of information, during times of crises.
- •The MS community should be involved in discussions when plans and policies are created to maintain access to care at times of crises.
Abstract
Background
In 2019 and 2020, over 17 million hectares of Australia burned, and half of the Australian
population was affected by toxic bushfire smoke. Then in 2020, restrictions designed
to curtail the spread of COVID-19 resulted in significant changes to healthcare access.
There is no Australian emergency management standard for persons with disabilities,
including those with multiple sclerosis (MS). Persons with MS often require multidisciplinary
and complex care, with continuity of treatment essential to prevent disease progression.
Objective
To identify limitations in access to healthcare from the perspective of persons with
MS as well as MS care providers during recent crises and make recommendations for
policy to improve MS healthcare access during a crisis.
Method
In mid-2020, we undertook online surveys and interviews with persons with MS, their
carers, healthcare professionals and staff of MS service providers (i.e., care providers).
We used descriptive analysis for quantitative, and a general inductive approach for
qualitative data.
Results
One-hundred and thirteen persons with MS and a total of 63 MS care providers, who
were close carers, healthcare professionals and service providers provided survey
responses. For participants with MS, limited access to general practitioners and medical
tests were of the most significant concern during the bushfires and the pandemic.
In contrast, during the pandemic accessing physiotherapy was another top concern.
Twenty-nine people participated in in-depth interviews, revealing that reduced healthcare
access during the bushfire and the pandemic caused concern. The use of telehealth
received both positive and negative reviews. All participants indicated a need for
preparation and planning for healthcare access before a crisis. Persons with MS recommended
centralised information sources, prioritised access to healthcare and increased levels
of MS nurses and other allied healthcare. Care providers recommended centralised information
sources, more nursing and mental health care access, and increased opportunities for
multidisciplinary telehealth delivery.
Conclusions
We recommend the involvement of the MS community in creating and designing disaster
preparation plans, which should cater to a range of disaster types, to improve disaster
preparedness in a community that is vulnerable to increasingly common community crises.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 24, 2023
Accepted:
January 22,
2023
Received in revised form:
September 20,
2022
Received:
June 17,
2022
Identification
Copyright
© 2023 Published by Elsevier B.V.
