Police, permits and politics: Navigating life on Australia's state borders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lily McCann, Sandra C Thompson, Floraidh Rolf and 1 others
PMID 35229397WHAT IT FOUND
People living near Australian state borders described sudden closures and changing permits blocking health care, work, shopping and social life.
They reported anxiety, financial strain and delayed appointments, including postponed skin cancer removals.
Key findings
01Participants described border closures and permit rules as restricting access to health care and employment, affecting mental health and well-being, and adding financial struggle.
02Fear that borders might suddenly close, even when open, deterred people from crossing for care; one participant reported postponed skin cancer removals and cancelled dental and optometry appointments.
03Border rules disrupted work for cross-border staff and essential workers, including health care workers who could be unsure whether they could get home after a night shift.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This is an exploratory qualitative study, not a test of whether border closures caused measurable harm or whether any clinical action would prevent it. The cross-border subsample was small and selected from people with chronic illness who agreed to interviews, so it may not represent all border communities or people without chronic illness. The paper reports themes from participants' accounts, so it does not provide clinical outcomes, effect sizes or tested interventions.
Declared interests
The project was commenced by Southern Queensland Rural Health, a University Department of Rural Health. The authors reported no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these accounts as proof that border closures caused a specific measurable decline in health outcomes, or that any therapy programme will reduce them. The study is exploratory qualitative work based on a small cross-border subsample and reports themes, not effects.