COVID‐19 and the Indo–Pacific: implications for resource‐limited emergency departments

Resource‐limited emergency departments responding to the COVID‐19 pandemic face many challenges — their strength lies in their unique solutions

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic is stretching hospital resources around the world. Emergency departments (EDs) are on the frontline of care and have been impacted significantly by the surge of patients with both suspected and confirmed infection.1,2

Resource‐limited EDs in low and middle income countries are particularly vulnerable. Pre‐existing issues, including a limited workforce supply, have been exacerbated, and new threats, such as a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and oxygen, have emerged.1,2

This article explores the impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic on resource‐limited EDs across the Indo–Pacific. It considers the unique challenges for the region and describes opportunities for building system resilience at a time of unprecedented demand for emergency care.

Emergency departments and the COVID‐19 pandemic

Emergency care systems are essential for universal health coverage.3 Effective emergency care improves health outcomes, and is critical to achieving the health‐related Sustainable Development Goal targets.4

EDs are the cornerstone of emergency care systems, enabling access to facility‐based care for patients with acute illness and injury. They provide an interface between community and hospital care, and address unmet needs for vulnerable patients. These roles are augmented during communicable disease outbreaks, when EDs fulfil surveillance, triage and clinical care functions.3,4

Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID‐19 a global pandemic in March 2020, most low and middle income countries across the Indo–Pacific have reported cases. About 20% of patients require hospital admission, and early recognition and resuscitation can help reduce mortality.1 EDs therefore have a key role to play in risk‐stratifying patients, providing initial therapy, establishing goals of care, and identifying patients who may benefit from advanced interventions.

Pandemic preparedness

The Indo–Pacific encompasses the eastern Indian Ocean and Western Pacific regions, connected through South‐East Asia. The region is characterised by cultural, geographical and economic diversity.5

The Global Health Security Index reflects a country's ability to detect, communicate and respond to a communicable disease outbreak.6 Most low and middle income countries across the Indo–Pacific score below the average preparedness level of 40.2 (on a scale of 0–100) and are among the least prepared countries.6 These findings reflect pre‐existing gaps in health care capacity that are likely to be exacerbated during a public health emergency.7

A historical lack of investment in emergency care systems across Indo–Pacific low and middle income countries means that many EDs have limited resilience in times of increased demand.3,4 Emergency care has not been a focus for international donors,4 and sequential reductions in the Australian Government's development assistance budget for health have further compromised capacity building efforts.8

Although these projections foreshadow a devastating impact on low and middle income countries across the region, the global experience of the COVID‐19 pandemic has illustrated the limitations of preparedness modelling. Several of the most prepared countries are now disease epicentres with overstretched health services, in part reflecting an initial reluctance to follow WHO advice regarding testing and contact tracing.9

Indo–Pacific nations may have strengths that protect against this trend, such as recent epidemic experience.10 Nimble and innovative responses may help build resilience, potentially providing globally relevant lessons that would typically be expected from high income countries.

Challenges in public health response

A major determinant of the pandemic's impact on EDs will be the success of broader public health interventions. Low and middle income countries, including those in the Indo–Pacific, will face unique challenges in disease containment.2

As demonstrated by several Pacific countries, island states have greater ability to shut their borders and limit inward passage of the virus. However, a freeze on international access will have a significant socio‐economic impact and is unlikely to be sustainable. It may also affect the supply of essential medical equipment, surveillance capacity (given that certain countries rely on foreign pathology services for COVID‐19 testing) and retrieval systems.

An important mechanism to disrupt community transmission of COVID‐19 is physical distancing. This is antithetical to many sociocultural practices across the Indo–Pacific, where communal living is common and regular congregation at community meeting places is the norm. Modelling from a Papua New Guinean setting has demonstrated that physical distancing measures in that community were 60–70% less effective compared with Australia.11

Public health responses across the region have already been complicated by extreme weather events and humanitarian crises. Examples include Cyclone Harold, a category 5 cyclone that recently affected the South Pacific, and the climbing infection rate in the worlds’ largest refugee camp at Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh.12 Worsening climate change will further exacerbate the incidence and severity of natural disasters and disease outbreaks.

Challenges for emergency departments

As community transmission increases, demand for ED care will escalate. The impact may be more pronounced among Indo–Pacific communities as a result of high rates of non‐communicable disease.13 COVID‐19 appears to be more severe in patients with diabetes, hypertension and chronic pulmonary illness, all of which are prevalent across the region.13

Increasing demand is likely to expose pre‐existing deficiencies in ED systems and resources, including scarce critical care capacity.1,2 A survey of emergency care clinicians in the Pacific recently identified minimal integration of surge response with routine emergency care, and a lack of essential processes, such as triage and patient flow.7 Consistent with these data, Box 1 lists key challenges in systems, spaces, supplies and staff that have become evident to Indo–Pacific clinicians during COVID‐19 response planning.2

Emerging data suggest that frontline clinicians are at an increased risk of death from COVID‐19, in part due to suboptimal PPE.14 Limited access to PPE is a major threat and will place ED clinicians at increased risk of infection. Low and middle income countries face challenges in PPE procurement because of supply chain limitations as well as market‐based competition with high income countries.1,2

Illness among health care workers will stretch an already fragile health care workforce. In the event of a surge, EDs will require significant increases in staffing, and the challenge may be exacerbated by high rates of comorbidities, absenteeism and inadequate training.7,13 Additionally, many Indo–Pacific EDs rely on a sole medical leader for clinical and administrative decision making.15 The pandemic may place these clinicians at risk of burnout, illness and death, thereby exacerbating the mismatch between supply and demand for care.

Unintended consequences

To meet these challenges, EDs will need to make substantial changes to their processes. However, there is a risk that distraction from pre‐existing health priorities will worsen the overall impact. Patients with chronic disease have poor outcomes at times of increased health system stress, as occurred in West Africa during the 2014 Ebola epidemic when resources were diverted away from routine care.16

Lockdown measures will make it difficult for some patients to access emergency care, and fear of acquiring COVID‐19 in hospital may create a further barrier to ED attendance. Additionally, the socio‐economic consequences of public health interventions are likely to contribute to poor health outcomes in the longer term.

There is also a risk that donor funding will target resource intensive equipment (such as ventilators) that may be unsuitable in a low and middle income country context. Many resource‐limited ED clinicians are accustomed to a low cost essential care approach.1 Rather than emphasising expensive and high risk interventions, a focus on simple measures such as rigorous infection control and oxygen therapy is likely to be advantageous.1

The pandemic has already had a gendered impact, exacerbating the “triple burden” of productive, reproductive and community work responsibilities imposed on women.17 This has been particularly evident in low and middle income countries, where women make up a larger proportion of frontline workers and are disproportionately expected to fulfil unpaid household duties.17

Addressing immediate needs

Addressing these challenges requires urgent action. While high level guidelines such as the WHO Emergency and Disaster Risk Management Framework¹⁸ exist, these often neglect the practical challenges faced by EDs. COVID‐19 guidance for Indo–Pacific EDs must complement WHO recommendations, and be culturally appropriate, fiscally responsible and immediately actionable2 (Box 2).

Indo–Pacific ED leaders are already implementing COVID‐19 response plans. Examples from across the region are profiled in Box 3. These early success stories highlight the capacity of local clinicians to lead disaster response activities and provide meaningful care in the face of escalating health care demand. The Australian Government has provided some support for this effort by contributing funds to the WHO response plan and deploying specialist advisors to selected Indo–Pacific countries.8

Opportunities

An increasingly interconnected world, combined with climate change and mass migration, will result in more frequent communicable disease outbreaks. COVID‐19 provides an opportunity to build resilient EDs that are better prepared for this challenge.

The pandemic is also a chance to enhance the sustainability of routine emergency care through system strengthening, facilitated by multisectoral collaboration between clinicians, governments, technical organisations and donors.3 This effort should be informed by existing guidance for the enhancement of human resources, infrastructure, governance and processes to improve regional emergency care capacity.7

Australian agencies, such as the Indo–Pacific Centre for Health Security, have a key role to play in resourcing this activity. The pandemic provides a unique opportunity for the Australian Government to advance its commitment to strengthening health care systems and deliver on the promise of its Pacific Step‐up.5,8 It also offers a chance to leverage Australia's expertise in emergency care for the benefit of the region.3

Conclusion

Time will determine the full impact of COVID‐19 on the Indo–Pacific, but global trends suggest that ED capacity may be severely stretched. Responses should target the unique challenges for disease control and emergency care delivery across the region.

Although local ED clinicians are already demonstrating leadership and adaptability in their surge planning, the pandemic provides an opportunity to build resilience in emergency care systems and enhance future capacity for both routine care and outbreak response. Australian clinicians, organisations and governments have a key role to play in supporting this effort.