Recent Research Papers and Reports

Researchers from the University Departments of Rural Health publish in a wide variety of national and international journals.

A selection of the most recent papers is provided below.

Date Published

Publication Title (click to view)

23
Apr, 2022
Exploring localized learning during a short-term health student placement.
Exploring localized learning during a short-term health student placement.
Abstract Summary
High-quality student placements in rural areas can provide students with the opportunity to learn about, and become immersed in, a rural community and associated health service delivery. As long-term placements are often resource-intensive, the learning potential of short-term placements in rural areas deserves greater examination. This research examined the learning afforded to students during a short-term, rural, work-integrated learning experience and the attributes and practices that facilitated students’ learning. Undergraduate students from three health disciplines who attended the placement participated in two focus groups at the end of their placement. Thematic analysis of the data was inductively informed by a [...]
8
Apr, 2022
Identifying features of quality in rural placements for health students: scoping review.
Identifying features of quality in rural placements for health students: scoping review.
Abstract Summary
Abstract Objectives To explore and synthesise the evidence relating to features of quality in rural health student placements. Design Scoping review. Data sources MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, ProQuest, Informit, Scopus, ERIC and several grey literature data sources (1 January 2005 to 13 October 2020). Study selection The review included peer-reviewed and grey literature from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development listed countries that focused on quality of health student placements in regional, rural and remote areas. Data extraction Data were extracted regarding the methodological and design characteristics of each data source, and the features suggested to contribute to student placement quality [...]
8
Apr, 2022
Identifying features of quality in rural placements for health students: scoping review.
Identifying features of quality in rural placements for health students: scoping review.
Abstract Summary
Abstract Objectives: To explore and synthesise the evidence relating to features of quality in rural health student placements. Design: Scoping review. Data sources: MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, ProQuest, Informit, Scopus, ERIC and several grey literature data sources (1 January 2005 to 13 October 2020). Study selection: The review included peer-reviewed and grey literature from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development listed countries that focused on quality of health student placements in regional, rural and remote areas. Data extraction: Data were extracted regarding the methodological and design characteristics of each data source, and the features suggested to contribute to student placement quality [...]
1
Sep, 2021
Systems thinking for Aboriginal Health: Understanding the value and acceptability of group model building approaches.
Systems thinking for Aboriginal Health: Understanding the value and acceptability of group model building approaches.
Abstract Summary
Abstract Systems thinking is increasingly applied to understand and address systemic drivers of complex health problems. In Australia, group model building, a participatory method from systems science, has been applied in various locations to engage communities in systems-based health promotion projects. To date there is limited evidence regarding GMB use with Australian Aboriginal communities. This study aimed to determine the value and acceptability of group model building (GMB) as a methodological approach in research with Aboriginal communities and identify any adaptations required to optimise its utility. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 18 Aboriginal health and university staff who had prior [...]
18
Aug, 2021
Understanding and responding to the cost and health impact of short-term health staffing in remote and rural Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled health services: a mixed methods study protocol.
Understanding and responding to the cost and health impact of short-term health staffing in remote and rural Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled health services: a mixed methods study protocol.
Abstract Summary
Abstract Introduction Access to high-quality primary healthcare is limited for remote residents in Australia. Increasingly, remote health services are reliant on short-term or ‘fly-in, fly-out/drive-in, drive-out’ health workforce to deliver primary healthcare. A key strategy to achieving health service access equity, particularly evident in remote Australia, has been the development of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs). This study aims to generate new knowledge about (1) the impact of short-term staffing in remote and rural ACCHSs on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities; (2) the potential mitigating effect of community control; and (3) effective, context-specific evidence-based retention strategies. Methods and analysis This [...]
11
Aug, 2021
Loddon Mallee healthcare worker COVID-19 study—protocol for a prospective cohort study examining the health and well-being of rural Australian healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Loddon Mallee healthcare worker COVID-19 study—protocol for a prospective cohort study examining the health and well-being of rural Australian healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Abstract Summary
Abstract Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic is creating immense psychosocial disturbance. While global, broad-based research is being conducted, little is known about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on health and well-being or how protective and resilience factors influence the human response in Australian rural and regional communities. Rural and regional communities often have less resources to deal with such public health emergencies and face additional environmental adversity. Healthcare workers, including those in rural and regional areas, have felt the immediate impacts of COVID-19 in a multitude of ways and these impacts will continue for years to come. Therefore, this study [...]
16
Jul, 2021
Respect Is Central: A Critical Review of Implementation Frameworks for Continuous Quality Improvement in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care Services.
Respect Is Central: A Critical Review of Implementation Frameworks for Continuous Quality Improvement in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care Services.
Abstract Summary
Background: Primary health care (PHC) services are complex systems, shaped by an interplay of factors at individual, organisational and broader system levels. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander PHC services, closer relationships with the people they serve, local knowledge of community, and cultural awareness are critical. Continuous quality improvement (CQI) has proven to be an effective process for identification of priority issues in health care delivery and for instigating the design, implementation and evaluation of improvement interventions in these settings. However, wide-scale variation in care quality persists partly due to the mismatch between CQI interventions and context. Methods: This critical [...]
30
Jun, 2021
Review of the Health, Welfare and Care Workforce in Tasmania, Australia: 2011–2016.
Review of the Health, Welfare and Care Workforce in Tasmania, Australia: 2011–2016.
Abstract Summary
Abstract Background: On a per capita basis, rural communities are underserviced by health professionals when compared to metropolitan areas of Australia. However, most studies evaluating health workforce focus on discrete professional groups rather than the collective contribution of the range of health, care and welfare workers within communities. The objective of this study was therefore to illustrate a novel approach for evaluating the broader composition of the health, welfare and care (HWC) workforce in Tasmania, Australia, and its potential to inform the delivery of healthcare services within rural communities. Methods: Census data (2011 and 2016) were obtained for all workers [...]
22
Jun, 2021
Behavioural activation for depression in rural Australia: Challenges and opportunities.
Behavioural activation for depression in rural Australia: Challenges and opportunities.
Abstract Summary
16
Jun, 2021
Characteristics of nursing and allied health student placements in the Northern Territory over time (2017-2019) and placement satisfaction.
Characteristics of nursing and allied health student placements in the Northern Territory over time (2017-2019) and placement satisfaction.
Abstract Summary
Abstract Objective Assess nursing and allied health student satisfaction with their remote Northern Territory integrated learning placement and consideration of future rural/remote work Describe the characteristics of these students Examine changes in student characteristics over time. Design A cross-sectional survey of students and a review of student placement data. Setting Northern Territory, Australia. Participants Former students having a work integrated learning placement of more than 1 week in the Northern Territory from 2017 to 2019. Main outcome measure(s) Agreement with the statements ‘This placement has encouraged me to consider living and working in a rural or remote location after I graduate’ [...]