Volume nineteen, Issue 3

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is the catalyst for a significant shift in the delivery of disability services to people with a disability and their families, including those residing in rural and remote parts of Australia. This study explored the experiences of providing clinical services under the NDIS in a rural area.

For rural-dwelling older people, becoming ill outside GP surgery hours is complex and the barriers faced are often insurmountable at times of greatest need. This research examines how rurality impacts the ability of people aged 65 years and older, in Ireland, to access and use GP out-of-hours services.

Skin infections including scabies and impetigo have a high burden and cause significant morbidity in remote Aboriginal communities in Australia. The aim of this study was to explore Aboriginal parent/carer, healthcare practitioner and service provider attitudes and practices regarding treatment for skin infections in Aboriginal communities in remote communities in the Pilbara, Western Australia.

In Scotland, approximately 5% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients survive to hospital discharge. Improving bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), especially in rural areas, could have a significant effect on the numbers of lives saved. This study systematically reviews whether non-classroom based bystander CPR training is as effective as classroom based training.

Despite being one of the most avoided topics of all time, death is a guaranteed eventuality for us all. However, quality psychosocial care as death approaches is not a guarantee. This study investigated the provision of psychosocial care for palliative clients in rural Australian communities and identified barriers and facilitators of social work referrals to address psychosocial concerns for palliative care clients.

After the commendable achievement of polio free status for the South East Asian Region, the World Health Organization is now focusing on measles elimination, which is still a major contributor of under-five mortality in South East Asia. India has introduced MR (measles and rubella) vaccination throughout the country through supplementary immunization activity. This study reports on the coverage of MR vaccination among the target population in South India.

Indigenous Australians with cancer tend to be diagnosed with more aggressive and advanced-stage disease, receive less treatment, have poorer survival and lower quality of life than other Australians. This study aims to describe the type and extent of unmet supportive care needs of Indigenous Australian cancer patients.

Farming is widely acknowledged as a stressful occupation, with non-injured farmers already at an increased risk of developing significant psychological problems (including high levels of stress, depression and increased rates of suicide). This study investigated the psychological effects of serious farm-related injury on farmers and how this influences their recovery.

This article reports on a study examining a collaborative, interprofessional program aimed at increasing exposure of Indigenous students to career opporuntunities in healthcare. Results suggest that such programs might increase interest of Indigenous students in health professions. The study also suggests that such programs might increase the the interest of non-Indigenous health professionals in rural practice.

This study applied GIS methods to existing data on traumatic injury and access to trauma care. County level disparities were identified, finding that rural residents with the least access to care were the most impacted by the burden of injury. The authors highlight the value of using GIS in combination with other analysis. Rural public health professionals can apply these methods for system optimization, to identify training and resource needs, assess prevention priorities, and advocate for trauma system support.

Tooth loss is associated with poorer oral health, compromised diet, nutritional deficiencies and reduced Oral Health Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL). This study evaluates the impact on OHRQoL of a novel mobile denture service designed and implemented by the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health.

Encouraging rural youth to consider healthcare careers, and healthcare students to consider working in rural settings, were among the goals of the Healthcare Travelling Road Show. Findings from this multiyear, interdisciplinary program emphasize the power of personal interactions and the importance of meaningful community engagement.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are more likely to have a stroke at a younger age than the non-Indigenous population and are twice as likely for stroke to result in death. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in rural and remote areas are less likely to have access to an acute stroke unit. This study examined the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stroke survivors in Far North Queensland and made recommendations for a model of care that was responsive to their needs.

The Rural Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP) was founded in 2007 with the specific focus of responding to drought-related mental health needs among farmers in rural and remote NSW, Australia. Since then, the program has expanded to include all people in rural and remote NSW in need of mental health assistance. This study reports on the use of a program logic model, which was developed for RAMHP to steer program reorientation, clarify objectives, activities and outcomes and improve data collection.

This study explores postgraduate clinical psychology placements in rural and remote locations; in particular, the complexity of developing workplace readiness for psychology students and the role of practice-based education.

Recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals in rural areas is a major, worldwide concern. Medical education has integrated community-oriented medical education strategies to help address these challenges. This study explored medical trainees’ preferences regarding place of work and choice of specialty after completing training using either the traditional or mixed Problem-Based Learning/Community-Based Education and Service curriculum in Ghanaian medical schools.

This article describes the implementation of a novel technology tool to capture demographic distribution and clinical presentation of patients in rural vision centers using the eyeSmart EMR App in a three-tier eye care network in India.

In Australia, Autism Spectrum Disorder is the most prevalent primary diagnosis of National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants receiving individualised funding to date and requires support staff to have specialised skills and experience. This study explores the feasibility, essential requirements and potential barriers in delivering therapy support to regional and remote participants on the autism spectrum via video-conferencing technology.

Physical activity across the lifespan is essential to good health but participation rates are generally lower in rural areas and among Aboriginal Australians. This study examined physical activity variation by season, setting and type among rural Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australian children.

Rural populations in Australia have a higher prevalence of obesity, cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes and some cancers than urban populations. This study determined associations between socio-economic characteristics (socio-economic position, income, wealth, debt, occupation, social network diversity), dietary attitudes and fruit and vegetable intake for people living rurally in Australia.

The allied health workforce of Aotearoa New Zealand is under growing pressure, with many health providers finding recruitment and retention increasingly difficult. For health providers in rural settings, the challenges are even greater. This Review provides an overview of allied health workforce development in New Zealand, highlighting opportunities and lessons for future workforce development, and looks abroad to what our allied health colleagues have learnt that could be of benefit to New Zealand.

Rural health needs to be based on robust theory that guides efforts in practice, teaching and research. This paper argues for critical realism as a suitable candidate theory, helpful for articulating, analysing and acting on the factors that contribute to rural health outcomes.

This Original Research article reports on the unmet family planning needs among married women of different economic, social and cultural backgrounds living in rural and urban settlements in Karabuk, Turkey.

Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy account for 12% of all maternal deaths globally. The risks from these disorders might be greater in rural and remote locations. This study explored how an mHealth intervention might support midwives in the management of women with pre-eclampsia in Scottish rural and remote locations.

This Clinical Case Report illustrates a case of anaphylactic shock following a bite of a wild Kayan slow loris (<i>Nycticebus kayan</i>) on a human in a remote area of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo.

This study investigates the differences in ureterorenal stone appearance after gouty arthropathy between Taiwanese Aboriginal and non-aboriginal patients.

This original research article reports on the results of a study which examined the experiences of individuals who participated by telehealth in studies examining the effects of cancer treatment on sleep and cognition. Findings suggest that use of telehealth might improve the ability of rural residents to participate in research.

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has the potential to improve access to diagnostic imaging for rural communities. This study evaluates the sensitivity and specificity, impact on patient care including decisions around interhospital transfer, quality and safety, of two common POCUS examinations, FAST (focused assessment with sonography in trauma) and AAA (aortic aneurysm), in the rural context.

Community orientation in medical education, which prepares medical students to become more effective practitioners, is now a global movement. This study investigated medical students’ perceptions of the community-based learning experiences incorporated into the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree at Uttara Adhunik Medical College, Bangladesh.

There are increasing rates of mental health issues coupled with insufficient resources to provide appropriate support, particularly in rural areas. eHealth initiatives are often proposed to maximise the number of rural mental health consumers able to receive support. This study investigated the factors affecting the likely engagement with the internet, both for general and eHealth purposes within the context of South Australian rural mental health consumers.

Concerned about lower rates of colorectal cancer screening in rural areas of the U.S., the authors conducted a systematic review of the literature to identify barriers to screening in this populations. While barriers identified were similar to those perceived in urban areas, specialist shortages, distances to test facilities, concerns about privacy, and attitudes about cancer prevention were identified as disproportionately hampering screening for rural Americans.

A comprehensive registry database of GPs and data linkage was used to investigate mobility patterns of female GPs across remoteness categories. This study shows that on average more female GPs leave practices annually than male GPs and an overall drift exists from rural to urban areas.

This scoping review maps the literature around primary health care (PHC), describing differences between rural and non-rural PHC. Comparison are made across four pillars of the patient's medical home &ndash; access, comprehensiveness, continuity and electronic medical record use. The authors' suggest rural PHC requires specific performance measurement system/s that acknowledge these differences.

This qualitative study used photovoice to explore travel issues experienced by rural registered nurses and student nurses undertaking preceptorships in remote rural areas in Canada. A central finding of the study was that student nurses learn to accept and manage limitations, and capitalize on opportunities, when undertaking rural preceptorships. The challenges student nurses face, without the same occupational health and safety protections as their rural preceptors, are highlighted. The authors suggest that better travel subsidies and road safety measures during rural preceptorships may increase interest in rural career paths.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients in regional and rural areas tend to be diagnosed at a more advanced stage than metropolitan patients and have poorer 5 year survival rates. This study investigates the effect of attitudinal and cognitive traits on compliance with, as opposed to participation in, population CRC screening programs in rural, regional and metropolitan environments.

Inequality in health workforce distribution is common in China and many other developing countries. This paper aimed to explore the health workforce in rural China; in particular, the cultivation and retention of village physicians and how to keep pace with health service demand.