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Your Call Is Important to Us: COVID-19 and Trends in Public Health Unit Call Service Utilization

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 July 2021

Zachary B. Horn ,
Alexandra M. Uren  and
Megan K. Young
Zachary B. Horn*
Affiliation:
Griffith University School of Medicine, Queensland, Australia
Alexandra M. Uren
Affiliation:
Metro North Public Health Unit, Queensland, Australia
Megan K. Young
Affiliation:
Griffith University School of Medicine, Queensland, Australia Metro North Public Health Unit, Queensland, Australia University of Queensland School of Public Health, Queensland, Australia
*
Corresponding author: Zachary Horn, Email [email protected]
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Abstract

Objective:

The aim of this study was to analyze coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) -related call data at Metro North Public Health Unit, Brisbane Australia, over the 2020 calendar year to assist surge preparedness.

Methods:

Call data were retrieved by call category or reference to “COVID” in summaries from the call management system at a large metropolitan public health service. Under a mixed-methods approach, qualitative data (caller, call purpose, and call outcome) were categorized with categories arising de novo. Resulting variables were numerically analyzed to identify trends by categories and time.

Results:

Of the 3468 calls retrieved, 160 duplicates and 26 irrelevant calls were excluded. Of 3282 included calls, general practitioners, followed by the public, contributed the greatest call volumes. Health-care–related callers and the public made 84.2% of calls. Calls most frequently related to patient testing (40.7%) and isolation/quarantine (23.2%). Education provision accounted for 29.4% of all outcomes. A total of 11.8% of all call outcomes involved applying relevant case definitions, and 49.1% of calls were identified as potentially preventable through effective emergency risk communication and targeted call-handling.

Conclusions:

This study identified key drivers of public health unit phone service use related to the COVID-19 pandemic throughout 2020. The results highlighted where risk perception influenced call volume and provided important insights for future public health preparedness.

Keywords

COVID-19disaster planninginformation-seeking behaviorpublic healthrisk communication
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 16 , Issue 6 , December 2022 , pp. 2583 - 2590
Copyright
© Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2021

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