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IJERPH
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Public Health: Rural Health Services Research—2nd Edition
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Public Health: Rural Health Services Research—2nd Edition

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 May 2026 | Viewed by 3539

Special Issue Editor

Dr. David Lim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. IMPACCT: Improving Palliative, Aged and Chronic Care through Clinical Research and Translation, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
2. Translational Health Research Institute, School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW 2560, Australia
3. College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA 5042, Australia
4. Mparntwe Centre for Evidence in Health: A JBI Centre of Excellence, Alice Spring, NT 0870, Australia
Interests: health service; translational research; health policy; rural and remote; workforce
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are organizing a second Special Issue on “Public Health: Rural Health Services Research” in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH), an open access, peer-reviewed journal. For detailed information on the journal, please refer to https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph.

The inverse notion of care (“availability of good medical care tends to vary inversely with the needs of the population served”) still holds true in many regional, rural and remote communities. These communities often face unique challenges to accessing health services due to their geographic location and the lack of critical mass, and often have poorer health and well-being outcomes than people living in urban areas. We have seen from the recent COVID-19 pandemic how the regional, rural and remote communities are impacted in a multitude of ways. While media attention has frequently focused on “doom and gloom", there are many impactful innovations in regional, rural and remote health services that target the changing demography, cost of living crisis, climate emergency, disasters, geopolitics uncertainty, funders’ priorities and technology adoption on healthcare service design and delivery, and health workforce preparation, recruitment and retention.

This second Special Issue of IJERPH aims to acknowledge, celebrate and share the innovations by exploring the many approaches to the design, delivery, implementation, evaluation of regional, rural and remote health services, including health workforce training, development and retention; integrated healthcare; telehealth; technological advancements in health; environmental health; education and training; capacity building in rural and remote communities; health policy; universal health coverage; Indigenous or First Nations health; and care provision for disadvantaged, marginalized and vulnerable communities. The issue is open to any topic related to regional, rural and remote health. The listed keywords below suggest just a few of the many possibilities.

Dr. David Lim
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • rural health services
  • rural health
  • social determinants of health
  • health workforce
  • health planning

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 261 KiB  
Article
A Qualitative Descriptive Study of Rural Primary Healthcare Professionals’ Capacity for Disaster Health Management Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Ehmaidy Al qaf’an, Stewart Alford, Holly A. Mack, Ravneet Sekhon, Samuel Gray, Kiara Song, Katie Willson, Glynn Kelly and David Lim
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22(1), 126; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22010126 - 20 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1172
Abstract
Introduction: Rural areas face additional challenges in preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters. This study aimed to understand how rural primary healthcare professionals (PHCPs) perceive their roles, involvement, and capacity in disaster health management. Methods: For this qualitative descriptive research, [...] Read more.
Introduction: Rural areas face additional challenges in preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters. This study aimed to understand how rural primary healthcare professionals (PHCPs) perceive their roles, involvement, and capacity in disaster health management. Methods: For this qualitative descriptive research, semi-structured interviews were carried out with convenience and purposive samples of rural PHCPs before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Open, axial, and selective coding were employed to analyse the data inductively. Results: Five interviews were conducted before the pandemic, and ten interviews were conducted during the second and third waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. The themes identified were similar between the two periods. Rural PHCPs were underutilised due to a lack of awareness of their capacity and a lack of infrastructure and support for greater involvement. Conclusions: Rural PHCPs can be better integrated and supported in readiness for a whole-system response to future disasters. This study recommends empowering PHCPs in disaster management to promote the health and continuity of care in rural communities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health: Rural Health Services Research—2nd Edition)
12 pages, 871 KiB  
Article
Do Medical Graduates from a Rural Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship Work in Similar Rural Communities?
by Jessica Beattie, Lara Fuller, Marley J. Binder, Laura Gray, Vincent L. Versace and Gary D. Rogers
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(12), 1688; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21121688 - 18 Dec 2024
Viewed by 782
Abstract
(1) Background: Medical graduates who have undertaken longitudinal rural training have consistently been found to be more likely to become rural doctors and work in primary care settings. A limitation of such findings is the heterogeneous nature of rural medical education and contested [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Medical graduates who have undertaken longitudinal rural training have consistently been found to be more likely to become rural doctors and work in primary care settings. A limitation of such findings is the heterogeneous nature of rural medical education and contested views of what constitutes ‘rurality’, especially as it is often reported as a binary concept (rural compared to metropolitan). To address the identified gaps in workforce outcomes for rural medical training and to demonstrate accountability to the communities we serve, we investigated whether Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC) graduates are practicing in communities with similar rural classification to those where they trained. Within an LIC, students learn the curriculum in an integrated, simultaneous manner. (2) Material and Methods: A retrospective cohort study analysing variables associated with working in smaller rural communities. (3) Results: LIC graduates who undertook an additional year of rural training were five times more likely to work in communities of similar rurality to the program’s training footprint. (4) Conclusions: The duration of rural training alone did not lead to optimal rural workforce outcomes. However, graduates who had trained in a combination of rural settings, an LIC, and block rotation were the most likely to practice in communities of similar rurality to the clerkship’s training footprint. This highlights the impact of both the training duration and setting inclusive of an LIC on fostering positive rural workforce outcomes and the need to develop innovative solutions to expand these models of training in smaller rural communities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health: Rural Health Services Research—2nd Edition)
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15 pages, 522 KiB  
Article
Virtual Care Appointments and Experience Among Older Rural Patients with Chronic Conditions in New South Wales: An Analysis of Existing Survey Data
by Eloise A. B. Price, Mohammad Hamiduzzaman, Vanette McLennan, Christopher Williams and Victoria Flood
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(12), 1678; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21121678 - 17 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1018
Abstract
This retrospective, descriptive study, conducted in 2024, analysed Virtual Care Survey (2020–2022) data of patients’ self-reported reflections on use and experiences to investigate relationships between demographics, the number of chronic conditions, and virtual care use among older rural patients (≥65 years with at [...] Read more.
This retrospective, descriptive study, conducted in 2024, analysed Virtual Care Survey (2020–2022) data of patients’ self-reported reflections on use and experiences to investigate relationships between demographics, the number of chronic conditions, and virtual care use among older rural patients (≥65 years with at least one chronic condition) living in New South Wales, and their satisfaction with virtual care. Associations between categorical variables were assessed using chi-squared tests, and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used for continuous variables. Qualitative feedback was analysed thematically. The study included 264 patients (median age 74 years; 51.1% women). Most virtual care appointments (65.3%) were for consultations, check-ups, or review of test results. Over one-third (38.3%) of the patients had multimorbidity and were 1.8 times more likely to have five or more virtual care appointments compared to the patients with one chronic condition. The oldest age group (≥80 years) preferred telephone over online mediums (Skype or Zoom) (p < 0.05). Patient satisfaction was high (65.8%), with 60.9% finding virtual care comparable to in-person consultations. Technological issues correlated with more negative experiences (p < 0.05). Key themes were enhanced accessibility and convenience, quality and safety of virtual care, and recommendations for equitable access. Despite positive responses, addressing technological complexities is important for optimising virtual care models for older rural Australians with chronic conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health: Rural Health Services Research—2nd Edition)
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