Rural and Remote Health is an open-access international academic journal serving rural and remote communities and publishing articles by rural health practitioners, educators, researchers and policy makers.

Australia’s medical workforce problem is primarily one of maldistribution, with both the geographic distribution of doctors and the relative supply of medical specialities not currently meeting the health needs of Australian rural communities. Recent studies from Australian universities that have prioritised recruiting students from the region in which they are located, rather than just the ASGS-RA or MM classifications, have demonstrated promising results for ‘grow your own’ workforce strategies, with students who grew up and also trained in a region being up to 17 times as likely to work in the same region after graduation. With growing evidence supporting strategic ‘grow your own’ approaches to recruiting, training and retaining health professionals from and for underserviced rural communities, there is a need for sound methodologies by which universities with a social accountability mandate can accurately describe their region of rural focus, or ‘footprint’. This Project Report describes the process, outcomes and lessons learned through a project undertaken to formally describe Deakin University’s rural health activity footprint.

Magnesium is required for almost all body system functions, including cardiovascular, neurological, endocrine, musculoskeletal and immune systems. Dysmagnesemia, or disorder in serum magnesium levels (hypermagnesemia or hypomagnesemia), is associated with poor health outcomes in hospitalised patients, including the need for longer hospital stays and increased risk of mortality. This register-based study assessed the prevalence of dysmagnesemia and associated health outcomes among hospitalised patients in the Northern Territory, Australia.

COVID-19 was the leading cause of maternal deaths in Mexico and Colombia during the pandemic and many Latin American countries reported disruptions to maternal and newborn services. In Guatemala, only 10% of the population is vaccinated and there are many misconceptions about COVID-19 and the vaccine. More information is needed about misconceptions patients might still harbor about the virus and the vaccine. Lay midwives attend the majority of births in Guatemala, including most births at home, and are in an optimal position to offer front-line support to pregnant women and newborns regarding COVID-19. Lay midwives are a particularly important source of information inrural and Indigenous Mayan populations, which disproportionately suffer poor health outcomes. This Original Research article reports on a program of study that aimed to dispel myths about COVID-19 and provide culturally relevant educational activities to low-literacy Guatemalan lay midwives in Peten, which is the largest department in Guatemala, but among the most remote regions and where >60% of residents live in poverty and lack access to basic health care. 

COVID-19 fue la principal causa de muerte materna en México y Colombia durante la pandemia y muchos países de América Latina informaron discontinuidad en los servicios maternos y neonatales. En Guatemala sólo el 10% de la población está vacunada y existen muchos conceptos erróneos sobre el COVID-19 y la vacuna. Se necesita más información sobre conceptos erróneos que aún persisten en los pacientes sobre el virus y la vacuna. Las parteras no profesionales atienden la mayoría de los partos en Guatemala, incluidos gran parte de los partos en el hogar, y están en una posición óptima para ofrecer apoyo de primera línea a las mujeres embarazadas y a los recién nacidos en relación con el COVID-19. Las parteras no profesionales son una fuente de información particularmente importante en las poblaciones rurales e indígenas mayas, que tienen los peores resultados de salud, en relación al resto del país. Este artículo original de investigación informa sobre un programa de estudio cuyo objetivo es disipar mitos sobre COVID-19 y brindar actividades educativas culturalmente pertinentes a parteras no profesionales guatemaltecas con bajo nivel de alfabetización en Petén, que es el departamento más grande de Guatemala, y se encuentra entre las regiones más remotas, donde >60% de los residentes viven en la pobreza y carecen de acceso a atención médica básica.

Durante a pandemia, a COVID-19 foi a principal causa de mortalidade materna no México e na Colômbia e muitos países latino-americanos relataram interrupções nos serviços maternos e neonatais. Na Guatemala, apenas 10% da população está vacinada e existem muitos conceitos errados sobre a COVID-19 e a vacina, sendo necessárias mais informações sobre estes equívocos. As parteiras, que assistem à maioria dos partos na Guatemala, incluindo os domiciliares, estão numa posição ideal para oferecer apoio de primeira linha sobre a COVID-19 às mulheres grávidas e aos recém-nascidos. As parteiras são uma fonte de informação particularmente importante nas populações rurais e indígenas maias, que sofrem com piores indicadores de saúde. Este artigo original relata um programa de estudo que teve como objetivo dissipar mitos sobre a COVID-19 e fornecer atividades educacionais culturalmente relevantes para parteiras guatemaltecas com baixo nível de alfabetização em Peten, que é o maior departamento da Guatemala, mas que está entre as regiões mais remotas, onde >60% dos residentes vivem na pobreza e não têm acesso a cuidados básicos de saúde.

Salmonella spp. is one of the most commonly reported causal agents of bacterial gastroenteritis and a leading cause of foodborne outbreaks globally. It has been estimated that 94% of salmonellosis is transmitted via contaminated food of animal origin, such as poultry and pig meat, eggs and milk. Salmonella  enterica subsp. enterica serovar Give is one of the less frequently isolated serotypes in humans. Between 2007 and 2021, there have been 1874 Salmonella ser. Give cases in European Union and European Economic Area countries. This Original Research study investigates an outbreak of Salmonella ser. Give linked to consumption of a local traditional roast pork recipe in September 2022 in southern Greece.

Household food insecurity (HFI) describes inadequate food access, availability, and utilization due to insufficient financial resources and is an important social determinant of health. Other aspects of food security, such as the availability of, and physical access to, healthy foods, are uniquely challenging to achieve in remote regions. This Scoping Review provides a unique global exploration and comment on the literature surrounding HFI in remote and circumpolar remote communities. Through examining initiatives and outcomes that have been conducted to decrease HFI, and factors that contribute, a fulsome picture of the current evidence is created and critiqued. Suggestions both regarding further research, as well as informing current policy based on work done thus far, are made.

Despite educational and policy efforts, the projected healthcare professional shortage in the USA is expected to increase in the coming years, with rural and underserved communities among those that will be most affected. For newly graduated clinicians, the juncture between the conclusion of formal training and initial practice in a rural community is a critical time that influences retention. Particular challenges for new healthcare professionals in rural areas include isolation, inexperience, purpose, and community integration. To that end, Mountain Area Health Education Center developed a Rural Fellowship program with the intention of facilitating both the placement and continued development of recent graduates from family medicine and one clinical pharmacy residency program in rural western North Carolina. This Original Research article outlines promising results from the Rural Fellowship program.