Investigation of training and support needs in rural and remote disability and mainstream service providers: implications for an online training model

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Genevieve Johnsson ◽  
Rachel Kerslake ◽  
Sarah Crook ◽  
Corinne Cribb
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Support Needs ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
Remote Communities ◽  
Rural And Remote Areas ◽  
Training And Support ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Mainstream Service

Objectives It is known that there are difficulties in recruiting and retaining practitioners in rural and remote communities and that access to support and professional development can be key in breaking this cycle. Technology provides a possible solution not only for increasing access to these opportunities, but also in building community capacity to support children with autism. The aim of the present study was to investigate the current learning and support needs within rural and remote professionals prior to setting up a model of support. Methods An online survey was used to gather information from service providers in rural and remote communities on their demographics, current skills and confidence in working with clients on the autism spectrum, current supervision and professional development, identified learning and support needs, and the availability and uptake of technology for accessing professional development. Results Respondents reported below average levels of perceived confidence and skills when working with children with autism, most notably children with challenging behaviour. Half the respondents do not currently attend supervision sessions, with only 15% receiving regular supervision (fortnightly or more often), and 66% of respondents had travelled more than 3 h to access professional development workshops. The majority of participants had access to technology and over half had already used this for online training. Conclusion Overall, service providers in rural and remote areas are generally not currently meeting their needs in terms of frequency of supervision and professional development. The present needs analysis identifies key areas for learning, the ideal frequency of support and the acceptability of using technology to deliver this support. This information will guide future researchers in the development of an evidence-based model that will be accessible and meaningful to its participants. What is known about the topic? It is known that there are difficulties in recruiting and retaining practitioners in rural and remote communities and that access to support and professional development can be key in breaking this cycle, which may be triggered by geographical isolation. Technology-delivered intervention and support, also known as eHealth or Telehealth, has been used successfully in the disability sector for medical rehabilitation, direct intervention, employment support and support groups, but there is little evidence as to how technology is received by and implemented with disability and mainstream service providers supporting children with autism living in remote regions. What does this paper add? This paper provides an insight into the current skills and confidence of a broad range of service providers, including educators, allied health therapists and therapy and community support workers, in working with children with autism. This paper also investigates the experience, feasibility and potential uptake of a technology-driven program of support and professional development in rural and remote Australia. Finally, this paper provides an insight into the desired frequency of training and support, as well as identified learning support needs. What are the implications for practitioners? These findings have and will continue to guide practitioners in the development of an evidence-based, technology-driven model of supporting rural and remote staff working with children with autism. Technology has the potential to provide practitioners in geographically isolated areas with access to more responsive, collaborative and individualised professional support and training. Such practice may improve the skills of practitioners and the level of support they can provide their clients with autism, with the added potential of increasing staff retention in rural and remote areas of Australia.

Application of Wireless Data Grids for Health Informatics

2008 ◽  
pp. 61-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omer Mahmood
Keyword(s):  
Health Informatics ◽  
Data Access ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
Wireless Data ◽  
Remote Communities ◽  
Remote Areas ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
Rural And Remote Areas ◽  
Information And Communication

Distance and inaccessibility create special challenges for health practitioners in rural and remote areas. Health professionals in rural and remote areas face problems such as prescription concerns due to lack of information. This occurs due to a gap in knowledge regarding medications, as health practitioners do not have access to medical history of their patients. Frequent migration of patients in rural and remote communities results in the loss of patients’ medical records. In addition, doctors have limited access to therapeutic information, as searching the Internet from most remote communities is expensive and slow. In addition, frequent migration of patients in remote communities results in the loss of patients’ histories. This chapter proposes a refined conceptual health information management model based on the model presented by Mahmood (2006). The discussed model is based on the use of Data Grid technology and Data Recharging techniques employed in conjunction with wireless communication technologies to overcome the problems and challenges faced by health practitioners. The model categorizes the health establishments in remote areas into two categories on the basis of geographical characteristics and data access requirements. The discussed model aims to meet information and communication technology (ICT) requirements of health practitioners operating in each recognized category.

scholarly journals "If it wasn't for OTDs, there would be no AMS": overseas-trained doctors working in rural and remote Aboriginal health settings

2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marisa T Gilles ◽  
John Wakerman ◽  
Angela Durey
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Aboriginal Health ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Cultural Issues ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Local Health Service ◽  
Rural And Remote Areas ◽  
Building Community ◽  
Training And Support

Australian-trained doctors are often reluctant to work in rural and remote areas and overseastrained doctors (OTDs) are recruited to practise in many rural Aboriginal medical services. This paper focuses on recent research carried out in Australia to analyse factors affecting OTDs? professional, cultural and social integration and examine their training and support needs. Ten case studies were conducted throughout Australia with OTDs, which also included interviews with spouses/partners, professional colleagues, co-workers, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members associated with the health service. Key themes emerging from the data across all informants included the need to better address recruitment, orientation and cross-cultural issues; the importance of effective communication and building community and institutional relationships, both with the local health service and the broader medical establishment.

A profile of the rural and remote older population

2021 ◽  
pp. 149-164
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Population ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
Remote Communities ◽  
Older Population ◽  
Income Security ◽  
Remote Areas ◽  
Rural And Remote Areas

This chapter deals with the profile of the rural and remote older population, which is predicated on the assumptions of the diversity of the older population living in rural and remote Canada. It talks about the construction of the profile around several major themes, such as being older and living in rural and remote parts of Canada and the challenges and barriers to living in rural and remote areas. It also covers social inclusion, engagement, and ageism, and food and income security. The chapter examines the shared characteristics of the older population living in rural and remote communities that distinguish them from the urban population of Canada. It cites the higher proportions of low-income people and older people, and higher proportions of people and older people with less education, including the higher rates of smoking, obesity, and mortality.

scholarly journals Carer and service providers’ experiences of individual funding models for children with a disability in rural and remote areas

2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 432-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Dew ◽  
Kim Bulkeley ◽  
Craig Veitch ◽  
Anita Bundy ◽  
Michelle Lincoln ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
Remote Areas ◽  
Rural And Remote Areas ◽  
Individual Funding

scholarly journals Understanding Broadband Infrastructure Development in Remote and Rural Communities – a Staged and Reflexive Approach

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingjerd Skogseid ◽  
Ivar Petter Grøtte ◽  
Geir Liavåg Strand
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
Remote Areas ◽  
Rural And Remote Areas ◽  
Local Actors ◽  
Staged Model

Access to broadband telecommunication infrastructure is important for both urban and rural areas. In urban areas market forces ensures access to service providers. In many rural and remote areas this is not the case. Local actors need to initiate the development of the infrastructure. This paper contributes to the development of a staged model for infrastructure development. We explore how local stakeholders have initiated and sustained the development of broadband access in rural and remote areas of Norway. Our conclusion is that the model is relevant in a Norwegian context. However we see the need to extend and strengthen it with elements of local reflexive processes taking context, feedback, learning, and global change forces into account. In initiating a timely development to meet local needs it is important to have a staged reflexive approach.  Such a model provides a path of development that allows local and regional initiatives to aggregate and grow.

scholarly journals Local administrative capacity based on the presence of expert staff in municipal city halls and inter-municipal cooperation entities

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Eva Marín Hlynsdóttir
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
Remote Areas ◽  
Administrative Capacity ◽  
The Past ◽  
Large Bulk ◽  
Rural And Remote Areas ◽  
Set Up

Local government in Iceland has been through extensive functional reforms in the past three decades. Territorial reforms have been less successful even though the central government has openly aimed to enhance the capacity of the local governments. This study aims to estimate the administrative capacity of Icelandic local governments by estimating the level of expertise in the tasks of planning, education and social service. The findings show that there is a considerable difference with respect to size, as municipalities with more than 3,000 citizens have much higher levels of expertise in comparison to smaller municipalities. The municipalities are only partially able to turn to inter-municipal cooperation (IMC) for compensation because the municipalities in more densely populated areas are more likely to set up IMC entities than those in more sparsely populated areas. The municipalities in less populated areas are also more likely to buy their services from private service providers. Moreover, the smallest municipalities have transferred a large bulk of their functions to other municipalities through contracting. The findings suggest that IMCs may not be the best answer for small municipalities, especially those in rural and remote areas.

scholarly journals Multiple Relationships

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-91
Author(s):  
Keith Brownlee ◽  
Glen Halverson ◽  
Ahlea Chassie
Keyword(s):  
Professional Identity ◽  
Cross Section ◽  
Rural Community ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Multiple Relationships ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Northwestern Ontario ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Insight Into

Working in a rural community locates the professional in a wider social network as community members often expect more from their professionals; not only as service providers, but also as engaged members of the community. This can result in the rural social worker being highly visible both personally and professionally and it can also lead to overlapping relationships. These higher expectations can place stress on the worker in terms of maintaining accepted professional roles and a sense of professional identity. This qualitative study explores the first-hand experiences of a cross-section of service providers in more than a dozen communities within northwestern Ontario and northern Manitoba, Canada. The responses of the participants provide some insight into how rural practitioners maintain their professional identity when working within the unique demands of the rural and remote context. Recurring themes from the interviews suggest that these professionals craft their own informal decision-making processes to address intersecting roles, community gossip, and personal isolation, even while, in some cases, practicing in their home community. The findings provide greater understanding of the pressures and realities of working in small remote towns and the challenges of responding to the expectations and realities of relationships including the expectation of working with friends and family members of friends or colleagues: issues that have not been adequately studied in the literature to date.

Review of Use of Digital Health in Melanoma Post-Treatment Care for Rural and Remote Communities (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audrey Anne-Laure Christine ROLLIN ◽  
Bradley Ridout ◽  
Andrew Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Post Treatment ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
Remote Communities ◽  
Remote Areas ◽  
Melanoma Incidence ◽  
Incidence And Mortality ◽  
Rural And Remote Areas

BACKGROUND The melanoma incidence and mortality rates in rural and remote communities are exponentially higher than in urban areas. Digital health could be used to close the urban/rural gap for melanoma and improve access to post-treatment and support care services. OBJECTIVE To understand how digital health is currently used for melanoma post-treatment care and determine its benefits for Australian rural and remote areas. METHODS A systematic search of PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, Scopus was conducted in March 2018. Findings were clustered per type of intervention and related-direct outcomes. RESULTS Five studies met the inclusion criteria, but none of them investigated the benefits of digital health for melanoma post-treatment care in rural and remote areas of Australia. A number of empirical studies demonstrated consumers’ acceptance toward digital intervention for post-treatment care. Findings did not take into consideration individual, psychological and socioeconomic factors, even though studies show their significant impacts on melanoma quality of aftercare. CONCLUSIONS Digital interventions may to be used as an adjunct service by clinicians during melanoma post-treatment care, especially in regions that are lower-resourced by practitioners and health infrastructure, such as rural and remote Australia. Technology could be used to reduce the disparity in melanoma incidence, mortality rates and accessibility to post-treatment care management between urban and rural/remote populations.

scholarly journals Building First Nation Owned and Managed Fibre Networks across Quebec

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Whiteduck ◽  
Brian Beaton
Keyword(s):  
First Nations ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
First Nation ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
Remote Communities ◽  
Local Networks ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Fibre Network ◽  
Internet Connections

In Canada, small rural and remote communities continue to struggle to access equitable and affordable high speed internet connections that address local priorities and needs. The First Nations Education Council (FNEC) is working with their community partners across Quebec to plan and operate a First Nation owned and managed fibre network to deliver broadband connections throughout each community. Public and private partnerships were established by FNEC to fund and construct the regional and local networks connecting these rural and remote communities. The paper describes the history of this development along with its future goals. Sharing infrastructure and network support services with all the other service providers (health, education, administration, justice, policing, homes, etc.) in each of these communities helps to sustain the ongoing operation and maintenance of the network.

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