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Aim: This pilot study examines how rural and remote junior doctors' career decisions are influenced by collegial relationships within the discipline of general paediatrics. Methods: Social network analysis (SNA) was undertaken by structured interviews with 10 paediatricians working in regional towns in Western Australia. UNICET software was used to determine the interactions between individual networks to look for overlap and common influencers. Results: Ten rural paediatricians were interviewed. An individual was found to have key measures of centrality at the core of the entire social network of rural general paediatricians. This included a high degree of 'betweenness' (connections within social networks), and a high broker index (connections between separate areas of a network or between networks) demonstrated by that person combining three disconnected networks into a single coherent network. This central individual was a recently appointed consultant with links to senior paediatricians, peers and junior trainees, and may be instrumental in recruitment and retention in the rural paediatric workforce. Conclusion: Improving understanding of the impact of social networks, and decision‐making processes that influence rural career choices, can inform innovative solutions to develop sustainable strategies for recruiting and retaining the rural paediatric workforce. Applying this model on a larger scale may provide more data to support evidence‐based programmes that enable this within the Australian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The accessibility to affordable primary healthcare services contributes to population health and health equity. A key aspect to accessibility is the geographical distribution of primary healthcare services. Limited studies have assessed the nationwide spatial distribution of bulk billing-only medical practices or 'no-fee' services. The aim of this study was to provide a nationwide approximation of bulk billing-only services and evaluate the socio-demographic status and population characteristics in relation to the distribution of bulk billing-only GP services. Methods: The methodology in this study used Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to map the locations of all bulk bulking-only medical practices collected in mid-2020 and linked this with population data. The population data and practice locations were analysed at the level of Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2) regions and used the most recent Census data. Results: The study sample included (n = 2095) bulk billing-only medical practice locations. The nationwide average Population-to-Practice (PtP) ratio was 1 practice to 8529 people for regions with access to bulk billing-only practice, and 57.4% of the Australian population lives within an SA2 that has access to at least one bulk billing-only medical practices. No significant associations were identified between practice distribution and area socio-economic status. Conclusion: The study identified areas with low access to affordable GP services, with many SA2 regions having no access to bulk billing-only practices. Findings also indicate that there was no association between area socio-economic status and the distribution of bulk billing-only services. Inadequate subsidisation of the Medicare rebate threatens the survival of bulk billing only GP services. Little is known of the socio-economic status of bulk billing only practice localities and whether they target disadvantaged populations. This research provides a current estimation of the distribution of bulk billing only GP services in Australia in relation to surrounding population socio-economic demographics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]