Mrs Sally West1, Ms Sophia Rodert1
1Qld Health TCHHS & James Cook University Murtupuni Centre of Rural and Remote Health, Weipa, Australia
This presentation will inform clinicians of the strategies used to implement nasal high flow (NHF) therapy for children in three very remote settings (Thursday Island, Weipa, and Cooktown). The strategies were developed by local researchers and on-the-ground clinicians within Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Services (TCHHS), using an implementation science framework(9, 10).
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are more likely than non-Indigenous Australians, to suffer respiratory illnesses. In the remote setting, these illnesses often result in transfers to tertiary facilities and the associated disruption to family life, as well as ongoing health implications(1, 2). NHF therapy can provide the degree of respiratory support required to enable stabilisation in acute respiratory illness and can thereby reduce escalations of care such as retrievals(3-5). NHF therapy has been implemented extensively within tertiary Queensland hospitals(6-8).
The implementation in remote hospitals across Queensland has been inconsistent or non-existent. Prior to this project, there was no clinical procedure contextualised to the remote environment, available to guide staff in safe and consistent use of NHF in this setting. Within TCHHS, the use of NHF therapy has been primarily driven by individual clinicians, aiming to provide equal access to evidence-based interventions in remote communities.
In embarking on the plan to develop a remote NHF therapy strategy, it was acknowledged that the remote context possesses additional layers of complexities to consider in providing care for children with respiratory disease. However, there was a strong desire amongst clinicians, the health service, and the community, to provide NHF to children. Consultation was extensive and the result was a robust procedure, coupled with extensive education, which has seen NHF therapy implemented consistently and safely within TCHHS. This has reduced inter-hospital transfers, avoiding associated displacement and distress, allowing children and their families to access high quality care on country.
Biography:
Sally West is a PHD candidate at James Cook University (JCU) and a COHORT member with JCU. Her current research is evaluating the implementation of Nasal High Flow Therapy in the remote context and translating the evidence for this therapy into the remote health context. Sally is a Clinical Nurse in Weipa at Torres & Cape Hospital and Health Service, and has worked clinically in rural and remote communities for the past 10 years with a particular interest in reducing health discrepancies between remote populations versus urban populations.
Sophia Rodert is a Nurse Educator for Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Services, based at Weipa Hospital. She is an adjunct lecturer with JCU and holds a Master of Nursing, majoring in Rural and Remote Health and Emergency Care. Sophia has worked in the rural and remote settings in both primary healthcare and emergency care for the past 10 years. She is passionate about innovation and supporting clinicians in the provision of evidence-based, best practice care in the remote setting.