Rural Remote Health
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Rural Remote Health · Jan 2012
Physician scarcity in underdeveloped areas of Turkey: what do new graduate physicians think?
A sufficient and balanced distribution of physicians plays a key role in access to high quality healthcare services. However, this issue presents serious problems globally. Turkey is currently experiencing physician shortages, with insufficient numbers of physicians in its rural and underdeveloped areas. The objectives of this study were to identify the views of new graduate physicians, prior to employment, on working in underdeveloped areas, in order to discover factors impacting their desire to work in these areas, and to show the actual geographic distribution of physicians in Turkey. This provides the basis for discussing future policies. ⋯ Physicians who have particular socioeconomic backgrounds such as rural origin and lower background-family income are more likely to have be motivated to work in underdeveloped areas. They are also more likely to accept work in these areas if financial and non-financial opportunities are provided. The findings of this study provide guidance for those revising health workforce policies.
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Rural Remote Health · Jan 2012
Small rural maternity units without caesarean delivery capabilities: is it safe and sustainable in the eyes of health professionals in Tasmania?
In Australia, over 50% of small rural maternity units have been closed in the past two decades. Workforce shortages, safety and quality concerns and cost considerations are the three interrelated reasons that have led to these closures. Women and families face many challenges when these critical services are absent from their local communities. In an effort to continue to provide maternity services in rural areas, small maternity units without caesarean delivery capabilities have been established in a few rural communities in Tasmania. However, they have divided the opinions of Tasmanian health professionals. This article is part of a larger study which focused on maternity services for rural women and reports the views of the health professionals on this model of care. ⋯ The findings of this study offer insights for policy-makers and state government with regard to the future planning of this model of care. It is recommended that safety and sustainability issues should be considered when this model of care is to be implemented in other rural communities.
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Rural Remote Health · Jan 2012
Remote participants' experiences with a group-based stroke self-management program using videoconference technology.
Telehealth is an all-inclusive term for the provision of health services using information and communication technology. Videoconference delivery is one form of telehealth whereby a synchronous, two-way audio and visual connection is made between two or more sites. Videoconference is used in remote areas to improve access to healthcare, perform individual clinical assessments and deliver group education. Moving On after Stroke (MOST®) is a group-based, self-management program for stroke survivors and their caregivers, which consists of information sharing, facilitated discussion, goal-setting, and exercise. This program was delivered simultaneously to local participants onsite in Thunder Bay, Canada, and distant participants in smaller, remote communities in Northwestern Ontario using videoconferencing (MOST-Telehealth Remote). The objective of this study was to explore the experiences of remote participants, their perceptions regarding factors that enable or limit videoconference participation, and to obtain suggestions for enhanced delivery of videoconferenced group programs. ⋯ For MOST-TR participants, videoconference participation was valuable. Addressing the limitations of videoconference connection and enhanced local support may improve the experience for remote participants in small-group, videoconferenced, self-management programs. Using videoconference technology to participate in existing programs greatly increases accessibility for people living in remote areas.
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Rural Remote Health · Jan 2012
Medical student characteristics predictive of intent for rural practice.
The shortage of physicians in rural areas of the USA has led medical schools to focus on recruiting and selecting students who will choose to work in non-urban settings. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of student characteristics previously correlated to choosing rural practice (ie being older, being male, being raised in a rural community, having a spouse or significant other who was raised in a rural community, having a spouse or significant other whose parents live in a rural community, having parents with high school education or less, and graduating from a smaller college) on osteopathic medical students' intent to practice in a rural setting. This study also examined the correlation between personality type and intent for rural practice using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Finally, this study examined factors that would increase interest in practicing in a rural setting, such as financial assistance and students' opinions about physicians who choose to practice in rural areas. ⋯ The results of this study support past research showing that medical students with a rural background and with spouses or significant others having a rural background are more likely to have intent for rural practice. This study also found that students' personality types may be correlated with intent to practice in a rural area. In order to provide physicians who will serve the population living in rural areas of the USA, it is imperative that medical schools select students who are most likely to practice in a non-urban setting. Financial incentives are important to students, suggesting that programs such as loan forgiveness may be useful in recruiting students to rural practice. Medical students may benefit from career counseling utilizing the MBTI to facilitate an understanding of personality type and how it may impact their preference for rural practice.
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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.