TKW Health self-funded an important tracking study on the impact of COVID-19 on our healthcare system, using our large database of over 85,000 healthcare professionals, we were able to gain direct access the key frontline staff who were dealing with the crisis daily. These healthcare professionals comprised of GPs, specialists, nurses, healthcare managers allied health practitioners, surgeons, pharmacists plus more frontline staff within the healthcare space.
We conducted Wave 1 March 2020 when COVID-19 was first starting to impact Australia and we interviewed n=433. Wave two was conducted in May 2020 with a total sample size of n=604, Wave 2 saw a significant shift in the sentiment and confidence since compared to the first wave. Wave 3 was completed in September 2020 and had a heavy focus on Victorian and New South Wales healthcare professionals with a sample size of n=305.
The research was designed to gain insight into the impact of COVID-19 on Australia’s healthcare professionals and the pressures this deadly virus was placing on the system. It also unearthed the unprecedented impact on the country’s medical professionals causing stress, anxiety and frustrations with the situation.
There was a dramatic shift between the three waves terms of Government support and confident that the healthcare system could cope. It also highlighted those specialists who had had their income stream either instantly stopped or significantly reduced as a result of COVID-19, posing an even bigger problem for the system in future years.
During these challenging times TKW Health were able to give the frontline workers a voice and allow the public to hear what they were saying. This not only provided valuable insights to key decision makers but it also cut through the public fear, panic, miscommunication that was circulating through social media at the time as it allowed the public to hear it direct from these healthcare workers.
The report was circulated to senior Government officials as well as receiving media coverage on radio stations, print and online publications across Australia. You can download Wave 1, Wave 2, and Wave 3 .
