ABSTRACT Whilst University Departments of Rural Health (UDRHs) have undertaken research relevant to Indigenous health over decades, understanding of the contributions in the context of culture and health has been largely unexplored. Objective Through use of culturally appropriate methodology, this Indigenous-led narrative review aimed to summarise how the research has responded to Indigenous perspectives and priorities to provide insights into how UDRH research has considered Indigenous cultural ways, and summarise benefits associated with UDRH studies. Design This narrative review analysed published UDRH Indigenous health research using systematic analysis and collaborative yarning. Results Thirty-three papers were reviewed. Key themes identified Indigenous [...]

ABSTRACT Aim This commentary articulates the need for strengthened public health training and workforce development in rural and remote Australia, arguing that investment in preventive, community-centred public health is essential to addressing longstanding health inequities. Rural and remote communities experience disproportionately high burdens of chronic disease, injury and premature mortality that are inadequately addressed within a health system that prioritises clinical care over population-level approaches. Context The authors situate this argument within the historical and contemporary context of rural disparities and rural health workforce policy. While University Departments of Rural Health (UDRHs) have long supported interprofessional rural training, the 2016 [...]

ABSTRACT Objective There is good evidence that a well-supported, positive rural clinical university placement experience contributes to rural origin students' intentions to practice rurally. However, not much is known about the support needs of rural origin students at university more generally. This research aims to identify and understand the support needs of rural origin health professions students entering and studying at university, using the lens of situational and experiential factors. Setting The research was conducted at a medium-sized Australian university with multiple metropolitan, regional and remote campuses. Participants Students enrolled in a health profession course who met criteria for rural [...]

Background/Objectives: University Department of Rural Health (UDRH) programs were created to address the disparities in rural Australian communities. A large proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live in rural communities, and the UDRHs work closely with communities to improve outcomes for Indigenous Australians. This narrative review examines the nature of the intervention papers in Australian Indigenous health published by UDRHs and identifies key learnings to improve interventions in Australian Indigenous health. Methods: Intervention papers were identified from an established database of UDRH Indigenous health-related publications published 2010–2021. Results: Thirty-three papers were included in the review. Thematic analysis identified four overarching themes from the [...]

Background/Objective: The quality of care afforded to rural, remote, and First Nations Peoples is dependent on access to a health workforce with the capacity to contextualize healthcare and practice to the needs and expectations of these populations. In Australia, the lack of representation of rural health in undergraduate and post graduate health professional education undermines this preparedness and consideration of rural practice uptake and longevity, compounding the inequities confronted by 7 million Australians residing in these locations. Urgent educational reforms are required to address this omission, the deficit discourses used to characterize rural healthcare, and the persistent health workforce shortages experienced. [...]