Rural Remote Health
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Farmers as a group have unique attitudes, sources of stress and a heightened risk of suicide. In the context of a prolonged drought and associated stress and increased risk of mental-health problems, this study provides an insight into the levels of psychological distress experienced by different demographic groups within the Australian farming community. The study also addresses a significant gap in the literature by exploring ways in which this unique cohort copes and may better cope, with the inevitable challenges of life 'on the land'. ⋯ This study offers a rare examination of farmers' psychological distress and coping in a time of drought. The results demonstrate that in this unique context it is erroneous to assume the universality of models of coping that have been validated in other samples. The results provide for the development of tailored interventions to help farmers cope more effectively during future times of drought.
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Rural Remote Health · Jan 2012
Lifecourse factors and likelihood of rural practice and emigration: a survey of Ghanaian medical students.
Health worker shortages and maldistribution have important implications for the capacity of health systems. Ghana has one of the highest physician emigration rates in the world, and over 75% of those who remain work in Ghana's two largest cities. The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of experiential factors across Ghanaian medical students' lifespans on intent to practice in a rural area and intent to emigrate. ⋯ Students with parents of a lower socioeconomic class, those with rural experience, and those without international experience are more likely to stay in Ghana and are also more likely to work in a deprived area after graduation. Selective admissions policies based on lifecourse factors combined with exposure to rural practice in medical school may have a role in increasing the number of rural physicians.
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Rural Remote Health · Jan 2012
Consideration of the influence of place on access to employment for persons with serious mental illness in northeastern Ontario.
Despite increasing attention to employment within the mental health sector, reports indicate that people with serious mental illness (SMI) continue to experience limited employment success in the province of Ontario, Canada. Research specifies that people with SMI who live in rural places are less likely than those living in urban centers to have access to satisfactory employment services or to become gainfully employed. The objective of this study was to examine access to employment from the perspectives of people with SMI, mental health and vocational service providers, and decision-makers, and to explore whether place influenced their access to work in northeastern Ontario. ⋯ The study highlights the influence of geography and human resources to the implementation of best practice employment services and supports for persons with SMI. Important policy implications include the need to consider place when implementing evidence-based practices in places where geography, distance and human health resources limit the communities' capacity to successfully do so. The study also underscores the need to build community capacity for supported employment, especially in rural places, in order to improve the participation of people with SMI in employment, and subsequently, to help shift the communities' thinking about their capacity for work.
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Rural Remote Health · Jan 2012
Extending the paramedic role in rural Australia: a story of flexibility and innovation.
This article identifies trends in the evolving practice of rural paramedics and describes key characteristics, roles and expected outcomes for a Rural Expanded Scope of Practice (RESP) model. ⋯ Adoption of the RESP model would mean that paramedics undertake four broad activities as core components of their new role: (1) rural community engagement; (2) emergency response; (3) situated practice; and (4) primary health care. The model's key feature is a capacity to integrate existing paramedic models with other health agencies and health professionals to ensure that paramedic care is part of a seamless system that provides patients with well-organized and high quality care. This expansion of paramedics' scope of practice offers the potential to improve patient care and the general health of rural communities.
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Rural Remote Health · Jan 2012
Clinical pathways can improve the quality of pain management in home palliative care in remote locations: retrospective study on Kozu Island, Japan.
Recent studies show that a clinical pathway (CP) optimizes pain management in palliative care; however, studies on CPs in home palliative care, especially in remote locations, are scarce. Physicians performing palliative care in remote areas frequently face characteristic difficulties. The CP is an effective tool to overcome these difficulties. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the CP in home palliative care on a remote island. ⋯ Implementation of a CP for pain management in home palliative care in remote locations could improve compliance with the WHO pain management guidelines and the quality of pain management.