ArticleBMC health services research2024
"Hospitals respond to demand. Public health needs to respond to risk": health system lessons from a case study of northern Queensland's COVID-19 surveillance and response.
Article in BMC health services research, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Frontline Healthcare Workers' Reflections on Operationalizing the COVID-19 Pandemic Response: A Qualitative Study.Journal of nursing management · 2026Article
- How has the concept of health system software been used in health policy and systems research? A scoping review.Health policy and planning · 2025Article
- The invisible frontline: experiences of public health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and health emergencies in Colombia.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- "It's Feeding the Beast": Lessons for Governance of Public Health Surveillance and Response From an Australian Case Study Analysis.International journal of health policy and management · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe vast region of northern Queensland (NQ) in Australia experiences poorer health outcomes and a disproportionate burden of communicable diseases compared with urban populations in Australia. This study examined the governance of COVID-19 surveillance and response in NQ to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement.
methodsThe manuscript presents an analysis of one case-unit within a broader case study project examining systems for surveillance and response for COVID-19 in NQ. Data were collected between October 2020-December 2021 comprising 47 interviews with clinical and public health staff, document review, and observation in organisational settings. Thematic analysis produced five key themes.
resultsStudy findings highlight key strengths of the COVID-19 response, including rapid implementation of response measures, and the relative autonomy of NQ's Public Health Units to lead logistical decision-making. However, findings also highlight limitations and fragility of the public health system more generally, including unclear accountabilities, constraints on local community engagement, and workforce and other resourcing shortfalls. These were framed by state-wide regulatory and organisational incentives that prioritise clinical health care rather than disease prevention, health protection, and health promotion. Although NQ mobilised an effective COVID-19 response, findings suggest that NQ public health systems are marked by fragility, calling into question the region's preparedness for future pandemic events and other public health crises.
conclusionsStudy findings highlight an urgent need to improve governance, resourcing, and political priority of public health in NQ to address unmet needs and ongoing threats.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.