A recently published scoping review has revealed just how much flooding events can disrupt Australia’s health system, from hospitals and transport to workforce availability and access to care. The review found that while the health impacts of floods are well known, there’s been limited research into how these events affect health services and the people who keep them running.
The paper, led by Nicole Dorfer – a University of Sydney medical student who completed her placement with UCRH – was undertaken as part of Nicole’s degree and supervised by UCRH researcher Dr Jodie Bailie. Nicole worked alongside a team of authors, including several UCRH academics and researchers, to examine the nature and extent of existing evidence on this issue.
The review analysed 6,687 publications and identified 28 relevant studies, most published in the past decade. Findings show that floods impact multiple levels of the health system, intersecting across infrastructure, health information systems, access to healthcare and workforce availability. Disruptions to hospital services and transport were the most commonly reported, with less than one-third of studies exploring impacts on socially vulnerable populations.
The authors conclude that more research is needed to understand these complex, intersecting impacts and to inform disaster preparedness strategies. The analytical framework developed in this review offers a foundation for future research and policy development to strengthen system resilience as flood risk increases.
This work highlights the important role UCRH plays in supporting students and researchers to tackle real-world challenges and improve health outcomes for rural and regional communities.
