Australian Journal of Rural Health最新文献

{"title":"Partnering for Health: UDRHs Driving Education, Research and Workforce in Rural Australia","authors":"Jenny May, Geoff Argus","doi":"10.1111/ajr.70244","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ajr.70244","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":55421,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Rural Health","volume":"34 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148816553","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Simulation-Based Education for Health Professionals in Rural and Remote Contexts in High-Income Countries: A Scoping Review","authors":"Naomi Chebungei Tarus Smith, James Padley, Julia Muller Spiti, Ellen Davies","doi":"10.1111/ajr.70242","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ajr.70242","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Introduction</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Health professionals in rural and remote settings face distinct challenges including geographical isolation, workforce shortages, limited continuing professional development and reduced exposure to high-acuity, low-occurrence (HALO) clinical scenarios. Simulation-based education (SBE) has been proposed as a strategy to address these challenges; however, its design, implementation and evaluation in rural and remote contexts has not been comprehensively synthesized.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objective</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To map and characterize existing literature on SBE designed and delivered to rural and remote health professionals in high-income countries.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Design</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A scoping review was conducted in accordance with JBI guidelines using the participant, concept, context (PCC) framework. Screening and data extraction were conducted using Covidence and results reported using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Findings</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Thirty-seven articles met the inclusion criteria, predominantly from the United States of America (USA), Australia and Canada. Most used quantitative or mixed methods designs. SBE was characterized across six areas: Simulation activity, modality, facilitators, support structures, research methods and learning objectives. Emergency care training, particularly for the management of deteriorating patients and HALO scenarios, was most prevalent. Modalities included simulated patients, in situ simulation, virtual simulation and procedural simulation. Technology-enabling approaches, including telemedicine and mobile simulation units, were increasingly reported.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Discussion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Reporting quality was variable. Most studies focused on learner-level outcomes, with limited evidence on system-level, workforce or patient outcomes. Rural-metropolitan collaboration through telemedicine and virtual facilitation was a recurring theme.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>SBE sustains clinical capability in rural and remote settings, particularly for deteriorating patient management, HALO scenarios and for introducing emerging technologies. Further research on implementation, outcomes and workforce impact is warranted.</p>\u0000 ","PeriodicalId":55421,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Rural Health","volume":"34 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ajr.70242","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148784886","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rural Clinical Training for Australian Medical Students: A Scoping Review of Rural Workforce Outcomes","authors":"Heath Pillen,&nbsp;Debra Jones,&nbsp;Justin Gladman,&nbsp;Lucie Walters,&nbsp;Rowena Ivers,&nbsp;Stuart Lane,&nbsp;Annemarie Hennessy,&nbsp;Xiang-Yu Hou","doi":"10.1111/ajr.70243","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ajr.70243","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Introduction</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Following evidence that participation in rural clinical training during medical school is associated with later rural work, there is a growing literature comparing the effectiveness of different approaches to training.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objective</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To map literature examining the effectiveness of rural clinical training for graduates of Australian medical schools, accounting for differences in training design.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Design</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A scoping review was conducted using literature searches performed across five academic databases from January 1, 2000 to January 12, 2026, selecting literature reporting on outcomes related to rural practice intent, internship preferencing or acceptance, and practice location at any point following participation in rural training during medical school.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Findings</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A total of 413 unique records were screened, with 43 satisfying the inclusion criteria. Most studies examined outcomes of practice location spanning postgraduate years 1–17 (<i>n</i> = 33), with a smaller number examining internship preferencing and/or location (<i>n</i> = 10), rural practice intent (<i>n</i> = 6) and choice of rural vocational training (<i>n</i> = 1). Studies examined the effects of training duration, remoteness of placements, timing and use of longitudinal integrated clerkships (LICs) or other pedagogical approaches.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Discussion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Existing literature has focused on duration-related effects, consistently identifying that rural training of ≥ 1 year duration is associated with positive rural workforce outcomes in a dose-dependent manner, and established evidence for the effectiveness of rural LICs, particularly when combined with additional rural training.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>There are opportunities to extend from existing literature to establish the effectiveness of core design elements within longer-duration rural training and LICs within more remote contexts, accounting for interaction with contextual variables.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55421,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Rural Health","volume":"34 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ajr.70243","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148784100","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From Simulation to Inspiration: Using Virtual Reality to Explore Rural Health Careers","authors":"Tegan Podubinski,&nbsp;Kristen Glenister,&nbsp;Hasan Ferdous,&nbsp;Muhammad Ashad Kabir,&nbsp;Eme John,&nbsp;Uchechukwu Levi Osuagwu","doi":"10.1111/ajr.70240","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ajr.70240","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objective</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To examine whether a VR rural health experience, co-created using an established process and research protocol, could achieve similar impacts on rural practice intent and reflective engagement in a different geographic and organisational context.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Setting</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Metropolitan Sydney and Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Participants</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Forty-one health science students and professionals recruited at careers-related events or while on placement. Most participants (81.1%) were from metropolitan areas, and 39% had no prior rural work exposure.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Design</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A parallel convergent mixed-methods study. Participants completed pre- and post-viewing surveys assessing intended practice location and presence in the VR environment. A subset (<i>n</i> = 38) participated in semi-structured interviews exploring their experiences. Quantitative data were analysed descriptively and using Wilcoxon Signed Rank tests; interviews underwent reflexive thematic analysis.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Post-VR, there was a significant shift in intended practice location (<i>p</i> = 0.035, <i>r</i> = 0.233), with increased interest in inner regional and small rural communities. Participants reported high levels of presence and engagement. Three themes and four subthemes were developed, summarised as: (1) VR as immersive and convenient, though limited in interactivity; (2) a rural education and awareness tool that contextualised the rural environment and challenged assumptions; and (3) a career decision-making aid that reduced uncertainty, supported exploration and helped assess person–environment fit.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A locally tailored VR rural health experience reproduced, and built on the key outcomes of an earlier study in a different context, supporting its adaptability and potential as a scalable tool for rural workforce development through critical reflection and informed career exploration.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55421,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Rural Health","volume":"34 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ajr.70240","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148784193","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Strengthening Rural Health With N-of-1 Trials and Single-Case Experimental Designs","authors":"Jane Nikles,&nbsp;Suzanne McDonald","doi":"10.1111/ajr.70241","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ajr.70241","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> THE CHALLENGE</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Rural and remote clinicians frequently make treatment decisions under conditions of uncertainty, exacerbated by limited access to specialist services, fewer locally available treatment options, and evidence that may not fully inform care for an individual patient.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> THE OPPORTUNITY</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>N-of-1 trials and related single-case experimental designs (SCEDs) offer a structured method for generating individual-level evidence to support treatment decisions yet remain rarely used in routine clinical practice. Beyond informing care for individual patients, aggregated N-of-1 trials can also generate evidence that is directly relevant to rural populations and models of care.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> IMPLICATIONS</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This editorial outlines the potential of N-of-1 trials and SCEDs in rural and remote health and argues that increasing awareness, training, and practical support could enable their wider adoption.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55421,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Rural Health","volume":"34 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ajr.70241","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148754104","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Head and Neck Cancer Care Experiences of First Nations Australians: Insights From Patients and Carers","authors":"Stephanie Ng,&nbsp;Tamara Butler,&nbsp;Rebecca Packer,&nbsp;Joanne Tesiram,&nbsp;Lynette Koina,&nbsp;Kalisha Soe,&nbsp;Elizabeth C. Ward,&nbsp;Gail Garvey,&nbsp;Bena Brown","doi":"10.1111/ajr.70238","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ajr.70238","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objective</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>There is a paucity of evidence exploring the experiences and care needs for First Nations Australians with head and neck cancer (HNC). The aim of the study was to explore the journey of HNC diagnosis, treatment, and early recovery for patients and carers to inform service improvement.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Setting, Participants and Design</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>First Nations HNC patient and carer (<i>n</i> = 19) experiences were explored qualitatively through Yarning. Data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, with First Nations researcher involvement embedded in all stages of data collection and analysis.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Key themes identified included: Strengths and protective factors; Coordination of care; Quality and continuity of care; Cultural safety; Communication and information; Cultural connectedness in hospital; and Gaps in health system support. The Strengths and protective factors theme was noted to be interwoven throughout the other themes and supported participants as a safety net during their care. Practical recommendations to the HNC care pathway were also offered under each theme.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The seven themes identified provided insights into the HNC care experiences for First Nations Australians. These findings and participant recommendations will inform a co-design process to create an optimised care pathway.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55421,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Rural Health","volume":"34 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13454312/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148702928","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Geography of Guardianship: A Rural Psychiatry Perspective on Decision-Making for Older Adults With Cognitive Decline","authors":"Petula Taara Hamer,&nbsp;Georgina Haysom,&nbsp;Linda Sheahan,&nbsp;Duncan George","doi":"10.1111/ajr.70239","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ajr.70239","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Aims</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This commentary examines how guardianship legislation interacts with the practical realities of providing care to older adults with cognitive decline in rural New South Wales. It aims to highlight systemic inequities arising from geographic isolation, workforce limitations and medico-legal uncertainty, and proposes reforms that align guardianship practice with the principles of autonomy, dignity and supported decision-making.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Context</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In Australia, substitute decision-making for adults lacking capacity is governed by state guardianship law and Commonwealth-aged care regulation. Although these frameworks are designed to protect vulnerable individuals, their implementation in rural hospitals is often constrained by access to Consultation-Liaison (CL) Psychiatry, restricted administrative support, and delayed access to tribunal processes. These pressures contribute to inconsistent interpretation of guardianship powers, prolonged hospitalisation, and uncertainty around restrictive practice. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety called for nationally consistent rights-based decision-making but did not fully address the unique barriers faced in rural settings.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Approach</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Drawing on three illustrative clinical vignettes from a rural CL Psychiatry service, this commentary explores how legislative ambiguity and resource scarcity shape substitute decision-making in everyday clinical practice. The discussion integrates medico-legal analysis, CL Psychiatry perspectives and rural health literature to identify critical gaps in knowledge, access and coordination.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Improving guardianship practice in rural hospitals requires investments in clinical education, streamlined medico-legal and psychiatric support, and coherent legislative alignment between state and Commonwealth frameworks. Addressing these inequities is essential to ensuring that the protections embedded in guardianship law translate into timely, person-centred care for older adults living in rural Australia.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55421,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Rural Health","volume":"34 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13443391/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148681206","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"‘The Right to Have a Family Should Not Be Determined by Your Postcode’: Rural Community Experiences With Fertility Care","authors":"Amanda Mackay,&nbsp;Selina Taylor,&nbsp;Emma Anderson,&nbsp;Beverley Glass","doi":"10.1111/ajr.70237","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ajr.70237","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objective</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Women in rural and remote Queensland face greater challenges in accessing fertility care than those residing in large regional or metropolitan centres of Australia. This study aims to explore the experiences of women accessing fertility care while living in a rural or remote area of Queensland and their perspectives on ways to improve fertility care.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Setting</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Interviews were conducted either in-person (Townsville, Emerald, Cloncurry, Mount Isa), via telephone or Microsoft Teams.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Participants</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Persons currently or previously accessing fertility care, while living rurally in Queensland, identifying as female at birth, being fluent in the English language, and aged 18 years or older participated.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Design</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Qualitative semi-structured interviews, with data analysed via reflexive thematic analysis, were followed by a descriptive content analysis of participants' ideas for improving rural fertility care.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Two main themes with 18 sub-themes emerged from the data. Theme 1: experiences of participants in accessing and receiving fertility care, whilst living in a rural or remote area, and Theme 2: participants' perspectives on how to improve the fertility care experience in rural and remote areas. Residence in a rural or remote location added to the complexity of fertility-related experiences. Rural living influenced fertility knowledge and information access, the accessibility of services, fertility care choice, privacy and social support. Participants articulated strategies from the availability of local information hubs to policy changes aimed at mitigating fertility care postcode-related disadvantage.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Rural and remote persons accessing fertility care have highlighted not only the challenges experienced but have proposed strategies to improve rural fertility care.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55421,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Rural Health","volume":"34 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ajr.70237","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148616964","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Research Capacity and Culture Development in Remote Central Australia","authors":"Allison Gray,&nbsp;Yasmin Watts,&nbsp;Alexandra Edelman,&nbsp;Supriya Mathew,&nbsp;Richard Johnson,&nbsp;Vishnu Khanal,&nbsp;Deborah Russell","doi":"10.1111/ajr.70230","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ajr.70230","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":55421,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Rural Health","volume":"34 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148467128","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hidden Capacity? Uncovering the Rural Australian Health Research Workforce Using National Census Data","authors":"Michelle Kersten,&nbsp;Karen Hayes,&nbsp;Susan Heaney","doi":"10.1111/ajr.70234","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ajr.70234","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objective</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To provide the first national analysis of the distribution and professional composition of PhD-qualified health professionals across metropolitan, regional, rural and remote Australia.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Design</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Cross-sectional analysis of 2021 Australian Census data.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Setting</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Australia, classified by Modified Monash Model (MM) remoteness categories.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Participants</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Health professionals reporting a doctoral-level qualification (PhD).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Main Outcome Measures</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Counts and proportions of PhD-qualified health professionals by MM category and occupation group; association between remoteness and PhD representation.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Occupations were grouped into medicine, allied health, and nursing. Residential locations were mapped to MM categories. Descriptive statistics and linear regression examined distribution patterns.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Of 21 510 PhD-qualified health professionals, 85% lived in metropolitan areas (MM1), with 3027 (14%) in regional, rural and remote communities and only 12 (&lt; 1%) in very remote areas (MM7). Medical practitioners comprised 61%, allied health 36% (predominantly psychology) and nursing 3%. Increasing remoteness was associated with reduced PhD representation (<i>β</i> = −0.0041, <i>p</i> = 0.011).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Research capacity is concentrated in metropolitan areas, yet a substantial base of PhD-qualified professionals exists in RRR communities. Targeted investment in funding, infrastructure and support could leverage this workforce to build sustainable rural health research capacity.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":55421,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Rural Health","volume":"34 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ajr.70234","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148467286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}