The impact of COVID-19 lockdown on flying doctor services has been assessed. 

It appears that while COVID-19 social isolation measures led to a reduction in overall aeromedical activity during lockdowns in 2020, once the restrictions were lifted, evacuations increased significantly.

Fewer aeromedical retrievals were carried out during the lockdown, but the proportion of vulnerable infants and adults with heart conditions who were evacuated was much higher.

“This may reflect patients delaying early intervention due to social isolation measures and limitations in accessing primary healthcare and cardiac services,” researcher Dr Fergus Gardiner says.

Limited access to local cardiac surgeons in remote regions between March and May 2020 led to a spike in RFDS aeromedical retrievals for babies with congenital malformations, as well as adults with heart conditions.

Almost 17,000 aeromedical retrievals were undertaken in the first half of 2020, a drop of 1,144 compared to the same period in 2019, with heart patients comprising 18 per cent of the evacuations, injuries accounting for 16 per cent and diseases of the digestive system 9 per cent.

Dr Gardiner says 230 patients suspected of having COVID-19 and six confirmed cases were among those evacuated from remote regions in 2020, mostly during the lockdown period.

“It should be noted that none of the areas where these suspected COVID cases were evacuated had pathology testing services,” he says.

Fewer cancer patients were evacuated but retrievals increased significantly once the social isolation measures were lifted.

“Many oncologists within Australia only performed essential treatments during the lockdown, mainly because their cancer patients were more immunocompromised and leaving their homes would have left them more exposed to infection,” fellow researcher Dr Marianne Gillam says.

“Oncologists had to weigh the risks of death from COVID-19 against the benefits of cancer therapy and these risks are amplified during aeromedical retrieval.”

Reductions in metabolic and respiratory diseases as well as skin infections, attributed to improved hygiene and social isolation during 2020, were also reflected in the aeromedical statistics.

“Future research needs to consider social isolation trends in primary healthcare settings,” Dr Gillam says.

More details are accessible here.