Rural Health Flashcards
Key concepts of rural health
- Social determinants of health & why a disparity in health outcomes exists
- Shortage of doctors in rural areas - reasons & solutions
Social determinants of health
- Conditions in which people grow & live
Examples of social determinants of health
Financial status, level of education, family support networks
Current problems faced by individuals living in rural areas
- Inadequate formal education
- Low socioeconomic background
- Lack of access to private & public transport services
- Mistrust towards the medical profession
- Lack of cultural sensitivity amongst healthcare workers
Consequences of inadequate formal education for individuals living in rural areas
- Not aware of how the healthcare system works
- Not know what to do when they have a particular symptom
- Contributes to poor health outcomes as an individual’s health is likely to worsen over time if they are not treated
- Cost of treatment will likely increase
Consequences of low socioeconomic status of individuals living in rural areas
- Unable to pay for appropriate medical services
- These individuals will require medical care from the public health system
- Results in longer delays to receive treatment
- Results in their health deteriorating over time
- When their medical condition worsens, the cost of treatment increases over time
- Causes generational cycle of poor health outcomes
Consequences of lack of access to transport in rural areas
- Difficult for individuals in rural areas to travel far out to seek the medical treatment required
- Although one could argue that a doctor can simply travel out to the patient to treat them, if that doctor is the only medical professional available, then there will be other patients at the clinic that they are leaving behind.
Reasons for shortage of doctors in rural areas. Why are doctors hesitant to move to rural regions?
- Lack of research & training facilities in rural regions. Rural areas may not have necessary infrastructure required for doctors involved in research-based medicine to conduct effective research.
- Doctors lack their families & support systems. They may not be able to function at their optimal capacity.
- Costs & expenses of moving are high
- Lack of awareness about differences in rural and urban health outcomes
- Afraid of rural practice & are scared to try
- Hesitant to practise in facilities with fewer resources & health equipment
Solutions to low socioeconomic status of individuals in rural areas
- Improve & increase access to financial services
- Educate individuals on financial literacy
- Increase the number of financial services & financial service providers in rural areas
- Build more public-transport services - expensive transportation costs deter individuals from travelling to deposit savings, thereby depriving households of building financial assets
Solutions to inadequate formal education of individuals in rural areas
- Provide medical education through involving indigenous leaders, village leaders
Solutions to lack of public-transportation services in rural areas
- Increase the number of bonded medical placements in rural areas
Solutions to low rates of screening programs in rural areas for preventable diseases
- Starting more charities that offer health screening services (for example, in Malaysia, there is NCSM)
- Increase the quota for medical students from rural communities & regions
Solutions for people in rural communities being more likely to smoke than those from non-rural areas, contributing to the development of chronic diseases
- Provide educational talks on the dangers of smoking for rural communities
- Provide services for chronic smokers to quit smoking
- Educate health professionals on cultural sensitivity
Solutions for individuals in rural areas having mistrust towards traditional medicine, including treatments & procedures
- Ensure that the medical school curriculum places emphasis on compassion & patient autonomy when training future doctors. In the long run, this will increase levels of trust in physician-patient relationships.
- Educational talks & media that teaches individuals living in rural areas about how the healthcare system works & what to do if they have a symptom.
Solutions to lack of training facilities causing doctor shortages in rural areas
- Build more training facilities
