Volume four, Issue 1

Good health for those in rural communities is a goal for those concerned with rural and remote health, the world over. This Editorial contextualises a recently released, Australian collaborative 10-point plan that provides strategies for rural health. Are the strategies appropriate for your community - or does international rural health demand other priorities?

Medical education often fails to meet the needs of certain populations. Coordinated efforts involving communities, government and medical schools offer promise. This article describes vertical integration efforts involving a medical school and a region in Australia. Interestingly there are benefits that travel the pipeline in both directions.

Patients in rural communities need to find help somewhere. If there are no vacancies at the local doctor's clinic, they often present at the Emergency Room of the local hospital, only to be seen eventually by the same doctor who was too busy to see them at the clinic! Meanwhile, emergency care is compromised. This article presents new evidence from Canada on the prevalence and causes of this problem and suggests practical solutions that could apply in many rural settings around the globe.

We know that asthma is a serious and common affliction. We know that indigenous communities in the developed world have very concerning health indices. So, put them together, and what do you get? The answer is - we dont' really know! This paper reviews the available evidence in the Australian context and calls for the urgent development of studies of high methodological quality and culturally appropriate design.

When we debate rural health policy internationally, it is helpful if we can first agree on the definitions of the terms we are using. As well as critically appraising a variety of theoretical health frameworks from a rural perspective, this article provides a useful summary of many of the terms used by rural health policy makers.

Have you ever noticed how sometimes small rural communities can implement health strategies that much larger centres find too complex? This article neatly describes how a local rural doctor led his community to effectively address the morbidity from falls in their elderly residents. Perhaps you have a similar success story to share?

The healthcare problems of Indigenous communities sometimes appear too great to face, especially when added to geographic isolation. Yet face them we must! This report describes a collaborative approach to eyecare for rural Australian Aboriginal people in New South Wales, that shows how it can be done. It may help others find solutions in their own regions and fields of expertise.

Rural health is definitely on the political agenda in Canada. What can the international community learn from an analysis of their approach to sustainable progress? What may Canadians need to rethink? This article presents a well substantiated contribution to these important debates.

January Journal Search presents a selection of rural health related articles on open access at Biomed Central; Rural and Remote Health hopes users will find Biomed Central a useful source of information.