Back to Search
Start Over
Subsidies to target specialist outreach services into more remote locations: a national cross-sectional study.
- Source :
- Australian Health Review; 2017, Vol. 41 Issue 3, p344-350, 7p
- Publication Year :
- 2017
-
Abstract
- Objective. Targeting rural outreach services to areas of highest relative need is challenging because of the higher costs it imposes on health workers to travel longer distances. This paper studied whether subsidies have the potential to support the provision of specialist outreach services into more remote locations. Methods. National data about subsidies for medical specialist outreach providers as part of the Wave 7 Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) Survey in 2014. Results. Nearly half received subsidies: 19% (n = 110) from a formal policy, namely the Australian Government Rural Health Outreach Fund (RHOF), and 27% (n = 154) from other sources. Subsidised specialists travelled for longer and visited more remote locations relative to the non-subsidised group. In addition, compared with non-subsidised specialists, RHOF-subsidised specialists worked in priority areas and provided equally regular services they intended to continue, despite visiting more remote locations. Conclusion. This suggests the RHOF, although limited to one in five specialist outreach providers, is important to increase targeted and stable outreach services in areas of highest relative need. Other subsidies also play a role in facilitating remote service distribution, but may need to be more structured to promote regular, sustained outreach practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- RURAL health services
CONFIDENCE intervals
ENDOWMENTS
HEALTH services accessibility
HEALTH policy
MULTIVARIATE analysis
REGRESSION analysis
RESEARCH funding
RURAL health
STATISTICS
SURVEYS
TRAVEL
HEALTH insurance reimbursement
CROSS-sectional method
PHYSICIANS' attitudes
DESCRIPTIVE statistics
SECONDARY care (Medicine)
ODDS ratio
ECONOMICS
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 01565788
- Volume :
- 41
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Australian Health Review
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 123290331
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1071/AH16032