Rural and Remote Health is an open-access international academic journal serving rural and remote communities and publishing articles by rural health practitioners, educators, researchers and policy makers.

Greater levels of social fragmentation have been found to be associated with impaired mental health but studies have predominantly focused on urban populations. This study investigated whether social fragmentation and psychological distress were associated in a rural area of south-eastern Australia, and examined whether there were spatial hotspots of psychological distress and social fragmentation in the region.

Early-career James Cook University (JCU) medical graduates are more likely to practise in regional, rural and remote areas than other Australian medical practitioners. This study investigates whether these non-metropolitan practice location outcomes continue into mid-career, and identifies the key underlying demographic, selection process, curriculum and postgraduate training factors associated with JCU graduates choosing to practise in regional, rural and remote areas of Australia.

Longitudinal studies are important tools for public health and epidemiological research, but are resource-intensive and difficult to perform in rural and remote populations. This Letter to the Editor describes how pseudo-longitudinal designs can be utilized as a valuable alternative to traditional longitudinal studies.

The remoteness of the Bahamas, an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, makes the import of food costly and labor intensive, limiting the amount of diverse and nutritious food available to the population of 388,000 people. This study reports on the validity of the Food Insecurity Experience Scale and measures food security in the Bahamas.

The Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC) is a model of medical training that involves community-based education in which the student participates in the care of patients over an extended time, building relationships with clinicians and the community and working on clinical competencies across multiple disciplines. Although many schools in the USA, Canada and Australia have implemented LICs in undergraduate programs in many different ways, few published reports in Asia exist. This first report of modified LICs in Thailand assesses different rural educational environments using the DREEM questionnaire.

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of global mortality. Indigenous women in Mexico are particularly vulnerable, experiencing a lag in medical services and gender inequalities that cause disadvantages in access to health services. This study evaluates the predictive capacity of three anthropometric indexes for cardiovascular risk in Matlatzinca women.

Rural and remote physiotherapy in Australia has evolved to be regarded by some as a discipline in its own right, requiring additional competencies and skills to bridge the gap from metropolitan practice. This study outlines an introductory set of competencies that contribute to effective physiotherapy practice in rural Australia.

In the Kimberley region of Western Australia, Aboriginal children experience six times the rate of untreated dental decay than non-Aboriginal children. Access to dental care is challenged by the availability and appropriate delivery of services in remote locations. This study reports on the experiences and perceptions of parents and carers who participated in a project that tested the minimally invasive Atraumatic Restorative Treatment and the Hall Technique approaches to manage early childhood dental caries among Australian Aboriginal pre-school children.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had serious health and socioeconomic impacts on people all over the world. Nigeria and other African nations worked with non-government organizations to institute a framework for controlling the spread of the disease and the resultant economic woes. However, the measures largely focused on urban centres. This study explores the experiences of traditional rulers, who are closest to the rural people in the fight against COVID-19.

Social capital is considered an important determinant of health and overall well-being, but there is a paucity of literature relating social capital to malnutrition in low-income countries. This paper examines the relationships between social capital and chronic malnutrition and anemia in a population of rural coastal children in Ecuador.

While all James Cook University (JCU) medical students undertake rural placements throughout their course, approximately 10 per year undertake extended rural placements in rural and remote towns – 5-month Integrated Rural Placement or 10-month Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship programs. This study uses a return-on-investment approach to quantify student and rural medical workforce benefits arising from these ‘extended placements’ between 2012 and 2018.

Scotland's National Health Service (NHS) provides health care that is free at the point of use and almost all Scottish citizens are registered with an NHS general practice. Patients attending rural and remote practices are likely to be served by a smaller clinical team that provides a greater range of clinical services than urban practices, which are more likely to be located close to hospitals. This study examines the differences between satisfaction levels expressed by NHS patients attending a general practice in urban and rural areas in Scotland.

The gram-negative organism Aeromonas is found in freshwater and marine environments and can cause a variety of diseases in humans, ranging from diarrhoea to cellulitis. When approaching water-immersed soft-tissue injuries and infections, prompt recognition of this pathogen is needed because treatment involves specific antibiotics and possible surgical intervention.

Colombia's rural areas, already geographically isolated, have also suffered from government neglect and armed conflict, further exacerbating their isolation in terms of basic needs and health access. This study constructs new categories of rurality in Colombia, taking into consideration the armed conflict and typology of isolation, to help inform policymakers and planners.

Las áreas rurales de Colombia, que ya se encuentran geográficamente aisladas, han sufrido además la negligencia del gobierno y los conflictos armados, lo que agrava aún más su aislamiento en términos de necesidades básicas y acceso a la salud. Este estudio construye nuevas categorías de ruralidad en Colombia, tomando en consideración el conflicto armado y la tipología de aislamiento, para contribuir al trabajo de legisladores y planificadores.

As áreas rurais da Colômbia, já geograficamente isoladas, também têm sofrido com a negligência do governo e conflitos armados, agravando ainda mais seu isolamento em termos de necessidades básicas e acesso à saúde. Este estudo constrói novas categorias de ruralidade na Colômbia, levando em consideração o conflito armado e a tipologia do isolamento, para auxiliar os formuladores de políticas e planejadores.

Working in emergency medicine in rural areas may entail challenges due to the absence of medical backup, difficulties in logistics, lack of healthcare system coordination and, potentially, feelings of loneliness. This study elucidates the experiences of physicians working in an emergency medical setting in a rural area in northern Sweden.

To reduce the spread rate of COVID-19, distance education was initiated in all universities in Turkey in March, 2020. However, distance learning had never before been implemented in physical therapy and rehabilitation education. This study reports on the attitudes of Pamukkale University Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation undergraduate students towards distance learning during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The mental strength to venture, persevere and act out of concern for one’s patient, despite lack of formally recognised expertise, is often necessary for rural doctors, who work in geographical and professional isolation. This study explores in depth how relationships with others can impact on the clinical courage of rural doctors.

A motivated, well supported rural health work force is required to provide appropriate child health services to the rural population. This study explored the views of rural health workers on the impact of a programme to improve oxygen delivery systems and provide reliable power to their health facilities in Papua New Guinea.

Previous long-term research designed to address the inequitable distribution of health workforce has primarily focused on medical students and graduates. Few longitudinal studies have targeted nursing and allied health graduate practice intentions and destinations. The Nursing and Allied Health Graduate Outcomes Tracking (NAHGOT) study is an ongoing multi-university, multi-jurisdictional investigation linking multiple data sources to better understand Australian nursing and allied health students and graduates’ choice of graduate practice location over the course of their studies and up to 10 years after graduation.

Palliative and end-of-life care is provided inconsistently across Australia, particularly in regional, rural and remote areas. Systematic solutions can help to address identified gaps and improve access and quality of care and support for patients, their families and carers at the end of life. This narrative report describes the ‘Far West NSW Palliative and End-of-Life Model of Care’, a consistent and contextually adaptable, patient-focused palliative approach, and identifies the essential elements to implement or maintain the Model elsewhere.