Week 2: Rural Health Outcomes Flashcards
Name the 3 causes of death which are most increased by rurality
-land transport accidents - diabetes - suicide
Describe cancer incidence and death rates according to rurality
incidence rates do not differ majorly with rurality, however, death rates from cancer increase, indicating poorer outcomes when diagnosed.
Following the categorisation pattern for differences in health outcomes of “people” “environment” and “access” - describe some “people” factors that may affect health outcomes
- stoic attitudes and avoiding seeking help - lower socioeconomic status with rurality - distrust toward medical practitioners, particularly in the older generations - a functional view of health “If I can work, I am healthy” - stigmatisation and fear of judgement for mental health issues - delay seeking treatment and do so less frequently (arguably access issue)
How can doctors change their practice to address some of the unique personal qualitites of rural and remote populations (gross generalisation obvs)
- Prioritise opportunistic approaches - Consider patient travel requirements when organising referrals eg. organise different referrals to the city for the same day - Maybe use more probing question style, rather than open-ended and broad - Mental health screening - Picking up on down-playing language for potentially serious symptoms - Use health promotion and advocate for supportive environments in R&R regions
Following the categorisation pattern for differences in health outcomes of “people” “environment” and “access” - describe some “environment” factors that may affect health outcomes
- Occupational hazards: Working with large animals and machinery (mining and farming) - Heavier vehicles travelling faster on roads - More affected by flooding and droughts - Fewer community facilities for exercise, social gatherings (other than the pub) - Unmonitored water bodies like lakes and river (child drownings) - Animal exposure to zoonotic disease -
How can doctors change their practice to address some of the unique environmental factors of rural and remote populations
-ensure up to date knowledge for common health problems such as injuries and zoonotic diseases - health promotion through advocating for safe environments
Following the categorisation pattern for differences in health outcomes of “people” “environment” and “access” - describe some “access” factors that may affect health outcomes
- travel distances to nearest relevant health service - direct and hidden cost of travel (time away from work etc) - availability of services - lack of continuity of care (a lot of FIFO in remote areas with little chance of establishing relational continuity of care) - lack of staff numbers and training - greater fear of loss of confidentiality “everyone knows everyone” - historical distrust particularly by ATSI peoples
What are some strategies to improve health care access in R&R regions?
- train local workforce (staff numbers, training, and relationships improve) - incentives to get health care providers to live in areas rather than travel to and from - high vigilance around confidentiality - provide mobile services, where they are not available at all eg. RFDS
Name some of the positive protective factors or living ruraly
-more tight-knit community - more volunteering - closeness to nature
Using the example of cardiovascular related deaths, list some people, environment, and access factors that impact outcome disparities
-people: later presentation due to different health beliefs; lower SES and health literacy; higher smoking rates; higher obesity rates - environment: availability of healthy food (example of most restaurants serving chips with all meals); fewer sporting clubs and healthy social activities - access: time and cost of travel; available health care services; lack of relationship with healthcare providers; less treatment for risk factors; less access to allied health such as dieticians
