Abstract 239: Effects of the COVID‐19 Pandemic on Stroke Treatment in Australia

Abstract

Introduction In Australia, stroke is one of the leading causes of mortality, death, and disability (Kitsos et al., 2011; Coory et al. 2002). Although Australia has been known to offer excellent stroke treatment and care services in recent years (Deloitte Access Economics, 2020), the rise of the COVID‐19 pandemic caused a reduction in resource availability and delays in stroke treatment. Therefore, we studied the impact that the COVID‐19 pandemic had on stroke treatment in hospitals all over the country. Methods Initially, we conducted secondary research on stroke treatment in Australia. Using this information, we created a survey inquiring more about the COVID‐19 pandemic’s effect on stroke treatment from the physician's perspective. We also focused on inquiring about the disparities in access to stroke care for urban and rural regions in Australia. We compiled a list of clinical and academic neurologists and subsequently distributed the survey to them. We received a total of 4 survey responses from neurologists and additional supplementary information from 2 other neurologists. We also reached out to leaders of stroke support groups to learn more about stroke rehabilitation services and how the pandemic affected them. Furthermore, we conducted one interview with a support group leader from Melbourne, Victoria. Results Based on the survey results and interview, we believe that the main barrier affecting stroke treatment due to the pandemic was reductions in resource availability (including beds, general anesthesia, etc.). In addition, the hospital admission rate of stroke patients decreased during the initial stages of the pandemic in 2020. Some physicians mentioned that this may have been due to patients' fear of receiving care in hospitals that were prioritizing treatment of COVID‐19 rather than stroke. Survey responses indicated that physicians working in urban hospitals observed minor effects on stroke treatment due to the pandemic. However, urban hospitals, benefiting from Australia's advanced stroke treatment, generally managed to withstand these challenges. Although there may be multiple reasons for this, a major reason one of the neurologists mentioned was a lack of politicization regarding public health precautions, which contributed to the initial stages of the pandemic not being as detrimental to Australia as it was in other parts of the world. Conclusion Overall, the pandemic did not have a major effect on stroke treatment in Australia. Compared to before the pandemic, both stroke cases and stroke treatment numbers remained relatively the same. The most prominent effect was the reduction in resources for patients as well as healthcare workers. Patient concern about healthcare availability increased, and the number of patients reporting stroke concerns decreased. However, overall, because of Australia’s advanced treatment services, the COVID‐19 impact on stroke treatment was not significant. Due to the low impact COVID‐19 had on stroke treatment in Australia, we have shifted our interest to studying how stroke treatment in Australia has changed over the last 5 years to better understand changes that predated and currently exist after COVID‐19.