Volume nine, Issue 2

This editorial invites the submission of letters, case studies and brief papers describing issues of rural concern emerging from the H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic.

For those interested in rural medical workforce issues, this interesting study from Japan examined the factors that predicted physicians would 'stay rural' over 22 years.

Global health service reform can have unintended consequences for those in rural and remote areas. This Scottish study of the implementation of a national nurse-led telephone triage system is an interesting addition to the literature.

One of Australia's worse droughts provides the context for this study on the fragile link between social support and coping.

Is it still valid to assume that rural populations living traditional lives are protected from hypertension? This West African study provides evidence that mean blood pressures of rural people are not very different from their urban counterparts, putting them at equal risk of hypertension.

Health status of rural residents in Jamaica was generated from their national cross-sectional study. To discover the predictors of health status among rural residents in this island country, read this article.

A common issue for rural and remote health professionals is the lack of access to continuing education and an associated sense of professional isolation. Are vieoconferencing communities the answer? This small study from Australia identifies some practical issues and raises a question about knowledge acquisition.

What health care do Australian rural Aboriginal adolescents want and need - and who is most likely to successfully provide it? This study provides a timely reminder that assumptions are often unhelpful.

Many words have been written about specific challenges to the retention of rural doctors. This study of rural Canadian family physicians offers a unique main finding.

In technology-driven specialties such as radiology, specialists no longer live in rural communities. Although an x-ray report may be just a "click" away, when a doctor on-call is confronted with a patient and an x-ray, it is reassuring to be able to discuss that x-ray with an on-site colleague. In rural areas that colleague is likely to be a radiographer. This study looks at ways of providing training for rural radiographers so they can assist with image interpretation.

A lack of knowledge about contemporary cancer care may prevent rural GPs from being involved in the cancer care of their patients. This is problematic for rural families who may need to make regular round trips of hundreds of kilmotres for routine cancer treatment. This education program from South Australia represents a first step in engaging with local rural clinicians in the care of rural cancer patients.

Childhood obesity has been associated with cardiovascular disease in adulthood. This study suggests that rural Greek children, once assumed to be protected by diet, are now at risk.

Partnerships, collaborations and capacity building are common words used when talking about rural health research. This article focuses on all aspects of the research process in regard to collaborative rural health research. Importantly, lessons learned are shared with the readers.

While undergraduate rural medical education is well advanced in some world regions, in the UK there is no tradition of rural clinical placements. This research offers a glimpse into the early views of UK medical students about rural health and its relevance to their learning.

The provision of health and social care services to older rural people is a concern worldwide. This study, part of a wider northern European project, asked older residents in remote Scottish Highland communities what they want. Their voice was clear in response.

Immigrant populations are becoming more common in rural areas of western countries. Healthcare professionals need to become more familiar with such groups' beliefs and practices in order to provide optimal care. This article shares insights about a practice among South Asians that is linked to oral cancer.

The 10th Australian National Rural Health Conference (Cairns, 17-20 May 2009) is an important rural health event. In support of it, and to stimulate wider debate, Rural and Remote Health has commissioned a series of editorials on selected conference themes. This is the second in the series, entitled "Rural health in a time of cataclysm".

The 10th Australian National Rural Health Conference (Cairns, 17-20 May 2009) is an important rural health event. In support of it, and to stimulate wider debate, Rural and Remote Health has commissioned a series of editorials on selected conference themes. This is the fourth in the series, entitled "Ten ideas for building a strong Australian rural health system".

Is the higher rural rate of prostate cancer mortality a concern among men in your rural population? This commentary discusses it in the context of differing urban-rural screening rates for PSA.

The global response to swine flu has been forceful in an attempt to prevent a repeat of the devastating influenza pandemics of last century. This Australian commentary reviews early local and worldwide responses while the severity of this virus remains unknown.

By reviewing over 120 articles, this paper provides an up to date global view of what works and what doesn't in relation to increasing the numbers of health professionals working in rural and remote communities.

High rates of diabetes among First Nations is a concern among healthcare professionals. Perhaps part of the solution is to increase our understanding of diabetes risk factors. Find out what these authors discovered about pre-diabetes among a First Nations sample in rural communities in Alberta, Canada.

Mongolia's recent rapid social and economic transition has led to social disadvantage among some dispersed rural and urban sub-populations. This project report chronicles the micro-planning processes involved in health access of these at-risk groups. A highlight is the mapping of difficult to reach populations that "brought the health data alive" and contributed to meaningful information exchange from district to national level.

Translating new government health policy initiatives into improvements in clinical care is easier said than done. These researchers have helped GPs in rural Victoria, Australia to achieve this in mental health care through the development of an "Internet Tool Box".

Defining key competencies for professional practice is a challenge for every health profession. Although this eloquent Australian study concerns senior rural allied health professionals, it identifies many competencies common to differing professional groups.

Most rural health research is motivated by a desire to improve health but this paper shows how the process of conducting research on cervical screening led to improved services for Aboriginal women.

This helpful letter from India suggests that even in resource-poor or remote-health centers clinicians can provide optimum clinical care based on accurate blood analysis.

This scientific letter from Uganda is a reminder to clinicians and educators to be vigilant for needlestick injury and its potential sequel.

Now the H1N1 pandemic has been declared, rural areas globally will be developing response plans. The advice in this letter is based on experience gained from a rural Scottish outbreak. It can only assist others in this major and urgent task.