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May 2025
March 2025
Empathy Increased in Rural and Remote Health and Social Care Workers by Participation in the Hearing Voices That Are Distressing Simulation Workshop
admin2025-04-07T11:23:50+10:00Evidence suggests that health care workers are often uncomfortable talking with people about hearing voices, despite recommendations that voice-hearers be provided with opportunities to freely discuss their experiences. Moreover, in rural and remote Australia, workforce shortages mean that a broader range of workers, often non-specialists, are providing services for people with complex mental health presentations. Improving the skills of this non-specialist workforce is therefore an important endeavour. The Hearing Voices that are Distressing (HVD) simulation workshop was originally developed by voice-hearers and provides participants with first-hand experience of what it might be like to hear voices that are distressing. HVD [...]
Quantitatively Applying a Person-Centered Approach in Rural Health Workforce Research: An Exploratory Latent Class Analysis of Early Career Rural Nurses
admin2025-04-07T11:25:31+10:00ABSTRACT Aim To explore the utility of a quantitative person-centred approach to identify subgroups of commencing first-year rural nurses and examine their work attitudes and intentions. Design Exploratory cross-sectional survey. Methods A survey of commencing first-year nurses was conducted in two Australian rural health districts in 2019 and 2020, with a 91% response rate. A two-step latent class analysis of 159 responses was undertaken with two indicators of perceived professional opportunity and three indicators of local connection and rural training. Three outcomes assessing work intention and attitudes were compared across subtypes. Results Four subgroups (‘classes’) were identified. There were significant [...]
February 2025
Engaging Health and Aged Care Workers in Rural and Remote Australia Around Factors Impacting Their Access to and Participation in Dementia Training
admin2025-04-07T11:29:23+10:00Abstract Objective: To better understand barriers and enablers to uptake of dementia training in rural and remote areas using input from rural and remote aged and health care workers into how dementia training could be offered to better meet their needs. Methods: Roundtable focus groups were conducted in six diverse rural and remote locations in four jurisdictions around Australia. Sixty-seven workers from predominantly nursing, allied health, and support worker roles involved in dementia care participated. Data were collected by site and used a mixture of face-to-face and virtual facilitated 'roundtable' discussions. Each group discussed barriers and enablers to participation in training and [...]
Establishment of a Research Unit in Colac, a Medium Rural Town: An Update on Progress and Guidance for Rural Health Service Research Strategy Development
admin2025-04-07T11:30:29+10:00ABSTRACT Background Rural health services have not had the same opporunities for research as metropolitan health services. Despite increasing awareness of the importance of placed-based research led by rural health services, there are few examples in the literature on how this can be done. Aims In this AJRH Practice Insight we aim to provide an update on the establishment and progress of the Colac Area Health (CAH) research unit. This is a health service led research unit that services rural areas classified as MM4-5 by the Modified Monash Model. Methods Practice insight. Discussion This experience may assist other small or [...]
Integrating evidence from lived experience of Aboriginal people and clinical practice guidelines to develop arthritis educational resources: a mixed-methods study
admin2025-04-07T11:35:02+10:00Summary Background Globally, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout (arthritis conditions) result in considerable pain and suffering and disproportionately affect First Nations Peoples, who are more likely than non-First Nations Peoples to have an arthritis condition and to experience a higher burden of disease. Access to culturally appropriate health information supports the health and wellbeing of First Nations Peoples. The aim of this study was to identify evidence-based, culturally appropriate recommendations to inform the development of arthritis educational resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (First Nations Peoples in Australia). Methods This mixed-methods study using community-based participatory action research had [...]
January 2025
Rural Eye Care Access, Workforce Challenges and Opportunities: Perspectives of the Eye Health Workforce in Western Australia
admin2025-04-07T11:33:51+10:00ABSTRACT Objective Rural residents face numerous barriers to accessing eye care services that contribute to disparities in eye health outcomes. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of the rural workforce on opportunities to improve patient access to eye care services, as well as understand the ways the workforce can be supported. Setting Regional, rural and remote Western Australia. Design A qualitative descriptive approach was taken. Maximum variation and snowball sampling were used, and semi-structured interviews were conducted until data saturation. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Participants Seventeen semi-structured interviews were conducted with six [...]
Impact of Heat and Mitigation Strategies on Healthcare Professionals: A Scoping Review
admin2025-04-07T11:27:01+10:00Abstract Background: Rising global temperatures and increased use of personal protective equipment has led to increased risk of heat stress amongst healthcare professionals. This review synthesizes recent research on the impact of heat and heat mitigation strategies on healthcare professionals across disciplines and settings. Method: Databases were systematically searched using keywords and data from included studies were extracted for content analysis. Results: Among 15 eligible studies, 13 investigated the impact of heat stress on healthcare professionals. Six investigated mitigation strategies. Most studies utilized survey methodology and were related to the use of personal protective equipment during the recent pandemic. Large [...]
Using Virtual Care to Assess the Health Needs of People With Intellectual Disabilities: A Scoping Review
admin2025-04-07T11:28:03+10:00Abstract Background: The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated a rapid roll-out of virtual health care services to people with intellectual disabilities. Limited evidence is available for clinicians to guide virtual care delivery. Method: Twenty-three studies were identified through systematic searching of 16 databases. Extracted data were mapped to the NSW Virtual Health Strategy. Results: Evidence exists to support the use of virtual care for screening, diagnosis, assessment, and review of people with intellectual disabilities, with benefits for clients, carers, and clinicians. Evidence mapped well to the priority areas of the NSW Virtual Health Strategy, highlighting the need for clinician training and specific supports and adaptations [...]
December 2024
Student and supervisor experiences of health student service learning placements in rural communities
admin2025-04-07T11:41:05+10:00Rural health work-integrated learning exposes students to the unique features of rural professional practice and provides opportunities to improve students’ work-readiness. Service learning placements delivered in rural settings seek to address the dual goals of student learning and meeting community identified needs. This research aimed to evaluate the experiences of students and supervisors who were involved in service learning placements in various rural and regional communities across a range of educational and health settings. Thirty-eight participants completed an online survey, reporting high levels of satisfaction with this placement format. Students experienced a strong sense of belonging within the host organisation, [...]