Volume sixteen, Issue 4

In Papua New Guinea, local and international non-government organisations are attempting to fill gaps in health service provision. This project explored the training content and methodology of Touching The Untouchables, a small Indigenous non-government organisation that has trained a network of village volunteers in health promotion and safe motherhood.

Physician undersupply in rural areas is prevalent worldwide, with reluctance to work in rural areas linked to limited opportunities for education and participation in cutting-edge clinical practice. However, Fukushima has experienced an increase in physicians following a series of disasters, suggesting that countermeasures for physician undersupply in rural areas may include rigorous research programs and media activities.

The closure of rural maternity services in industrialized countries is underscored by assumptions of efficiencies of scale leading to cost-effectiveness, with scant evidence to support this. To clearly understand the cost-effectiveness of rural services we must take the broadest societal perspective to include not only health system costs, but also those costs incurred at the family and community levels.

It is difficult to gain a broad but accurate understanding of the health concerns for rural communities with regard to unconventional gas mining because the evidence has grown very recently and rapidly, is complex and largely based in the USA. This communication concisely distils the research evidence on key concerns, highlighting the Australian situation where evidence exists.

Female seasonal agricultural workers experience social, financial and health-related problems that differ from those in the general population, including low education level, lack of social insurance, housework and agricultural activities together, and a lack of paid work. The present study describes significantly lower health for female seasonal agricultural workers compared to the general Turkish population, with a need for multidisciplinary approaches to improve outcomes for this group of disadvantaged women.

Against the backdrop of poor availability of oral care services in rural and remote areas, there is growing interest in the adoption of teledentistry services. Addressing the barriers that delay the implementation of a teledentistry service can establish an evidence base to inform future decisions about this technology.

Rural communities continue to experience significant challenges recruiting and retaining physicians. This study describes the implementation of the Community Apgar Questionnaire to differentially diagnose a community's relative strengths and challenges in recruiting and retaining GPs, while supporting health facilities to prioritise achievable goals to improve long-term retention strategies.

This research focuses on evaluation of patient perceptions of the usability a Virtual Health Room, an ehealth initiative in Sweden. A clear distinction is observed between the technical performance of the ehealth initiative and its overall contribution to health care and access such that both should be considered in evaluation frameworks.

In this article, the authors review available data on prescription opioid use among Aboriginal people in Canada. While indicators suggest high levels of misuse, data is limited, and they recommend improved monitoring to inform culturally and contextually appropriate interventions.

Despite the continental dimensions of Brazil and its enormous cultural diversity, only some medical schools in this country offer students the opportunity to acquire work experience focused on medicine in rural or remote areas. This study develops and validates a framework of competencies for a longitudinal medical training program in rural medicine as an integrated part of medical training in Brazil.

The present research emphasises the need to increase oral health promotion efforts, and to improve access to routine and restorative dental care for children in Timor Leste. Changing demographics and the adoption of a more Western diet will have large implications for the oral health sector.

There are many examples in Rural and Remote Health of well crafted and implemented research that has benefited our knowledge base and helped rural residents. Applying the framework suggested in this editorial has the potential to reiterate the dynamic nature of rural from a strengths rather than deficit basis.

The decision to choose an RCS placement is a marker of rural career intention and a positive rural training experience for students of both rural and metropolitan backgrounds. It may be important to identify other-preference students and their specific social support needs to ensure a positive perception of a future rural career.

This article describes the policies on early elective delivery and vaginal birth after cesarean in rural maternity hospitals in the US. Further research is needed to support implementation of national recommendations in a variety of rural and urban hospital settings.

ACS are life-threatening medical emergencies that require urgent treatment, posing particular challenges for systems of health care in regional and remote parts of the world characterised by large distances and widely dispersed populations and healthcare facilities. Systems of care in ACS require consideration of the perspectives of the patient, the health system and healthcare disciplines and services.

This study investigated how a new food desert affected family food acquisition and storage behaviors in a small rural community. Food pricing was a stronger influence on food acquisition behavior than food access, but both should be addressed if the effects of a food desert are to be offset.

Disaster preparedness of the community is an essential disaster-mitigation strategy to protect human life and to prevent injuries and property damage. Because the proportions of people with good knowledge of disaster and disaster preparedness were quite low in this study, the program to improve the effectiveness of community mental health nurses should be revitalised in Aceh, then expanded to other provinces of Indonesia.

The cadetship is an effective link between medical school and rural practice. The success of the program relies in part on the mentoring, networking and other educational opportunities available to cadets, which serve to foster their interest and provide a structured pathway to long-term rural practice.

Although evidence demonstrates that unintentional injuries are preventable, they are a leading cause of death, particularly in low- and middle-income countries such as the Solomon Islands. This review aimed to explore the incidence and burden of unintentional injuries in the Solomon Islands, and to explore the potential role of occupational therapy in preventing unintentional injury, based on current activities in other low- and middle-income countries.

A person's capability to access services and achieve good eye health is influenced by their behaviours, perceptions, beliefs and experiences. The purpose of the present study was to better understand the unique social context regarding beliefs, perceptions and emotional responses to vision impairment in Papua New Guinea, and to identify programmatic and policy implications.

Snowmobiling among young people in Scandinavia frequently leads to accidents and injuries. This article reveals how young people experience and interpret accidents, including variation between the evaluations made by girls and boys, and outlines a prevention strategy.

Telehealth has the potential to address many of the key challenges to providing health care in Australia, and six key factors associated with the success and sustainability of services are identified. This review provides information for policy makers, governments and public and private health services that wish to integrate telehealth into routine practice, and for telehealth providers to enhance the sustainability of their service.

For those who live and work in rural/remote settings, there are social, occupational, health and environmental challenges. Some of these are shared with families and individuals who are associated with military life. This article explores the relevance of the body of military psychology knowledge to the management and support of those living and working in rural/remote industries and locations, particularly within Australia.