scholarly journals Mental health care in rural and remote areas necessitate greater attention during the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jooyoung Moon ◽  
Hanna Moon
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
Remote Areas ◽  
Rural And Remote Areas

scholarly journals Successful provision of emergency mental health care to rural and remote New South Wales: an evaluation of the Mental Health Emergency Care–Rural Access Program

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Saurman ◽  
David Lyle ◽  
David Perkins ◽  
Russell Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Emergency Mental Health ◽  
Rural And Remote Areas ◽  
Service Activity ◽  
Rural Access ◽  
Access Program

Objective To evaluate a rural emergency telepsychiatry program, the Mental Health Emergency Care–Rural Access Program (MHEC-RAP), which aims to improve access to emergency mental health care for communities throughout western New South Wales (NSW). Methods A descriptive analysis of service activity data from the introduction of the MHEC-RAP in 2008 to 2011 using Chi-squared tests and linear regression modelling to assess change and trends over time. Result There were 55 959 calls to the MHEC-RAP, 9678 (17%) of these calls initiated an MHEC-RAP service (~2500 each year). The use of video assessment increased over 18 months, then levelled off to an average of 65 each month. Health care provider use increased from 54% to 75% of all contacts, and 49% of MHEC-RAP patients were triaged ‘urgent’. Most (71%) were referred from the MHEC-RAP for outpatient care with a local provider. The proportion of MHEC-RAP patients admitted to hospital initially increased by 12%, then declined over the next 2 years by 7% (by 28% for admissions to a mental health inpatient unit (MHIPU)). Conclusion The MHEC-RAP is well established. It has achieved acceptable levels of service activity and continues to be as used as intended. Further research is required to confirm how the MHEC-RAP works in terms of process and capacity, how it has changed access to mental health care and to document its costs and benefits. What is known about the topic? Rural and remote communities have poorer access to and use of mental health services. Telehealth care is a reliable and accepted means for providing non-urgent mental health care. What does this paper add? The MHEC-RAP is a practical and transferable solution to providing specialist emergency mental health care, and support for local providers, in rural and remote areas via telehealth. There is a possible impact upon the problem of recruiting and retaining a mental health workforce in rural and remote areas. What are the implications for practitioners? Providing reliable remote access to specialist mental health assessment and advice while supporting providers in rural communities can result in better outcomes for patients and services alike.

Disaster Management in Rural and Remote Primary Health Care: A Scoping Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 362-369
Author(s):  
Katie A. Willson ◽  
Gerard J. FitzGerald ◽  
David Lim
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Disaster Management ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
Primary Health

AbstractObjective:This scoping review aims to map the roles of rural and remote primary health care professionals (PHCPs) during disasters.Introduction:Disasters can have catastrophic impacts on society and are broadly classified into natural events, man-made incidents, or a mixture of both. The PHCPs working in rural and remote communities face additional challenges when dealing with disasters and have significant roles during the Prevention, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery (PPRR) stages of disaster management.Methods:A Johanna Briggs Institute (JBI) scoping review methodology was utilized, and the search was conducted over seven electronic databases according to a priori protocol.Results:Forty-one papers were included and sixty-one roles were identified across the four stages of disaster management. The majority of disasters described within the literature were natural events and pandemics. Before a disaster occurs, PHCPs can build individual resilience through education. As recognized and respected leaders within their community, PHCPs are invaluable in assisting with disaster preparedness through being involved in organizations’ planning policies and contributing to natural disaster and pandemic surveillance. Key roles during the response stage include accommodating patient surge, triage, maintaining the health of the remaining population, instituting infection control, and ensuring a team-based approach to mental health care during the disaster. In the aftermath and recovery stage, rural and remote PHCPs provide long-term follow up, assisting patients in accessing post-disaster support including delivery of mental health care.Conclusion:Rural and remote PHCPs play significant roles within their community throughout the continuum of disaster management. As a consequence of their flexible scope of practice, PHCPs are well-placed to be involved during all stages of disaster, from building of community resilience and contributing to early alert of pandemics, to participating in the direct response when a disaster occurs and leading the way to recovery.

scholarly journals Aeromedical retrievals of people for mental health care and the low level of clinical support in rural and remote Australia

2019 ◽  
Vol 211 (8) ◽  
pp. 351-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fergus W Gardiner ◽  
Mathew Coleman ◽  
Narcissus Teoh ◽  
Abby Harwood ◽  
Neil T Coffee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Clinical Support

Tele-otology: Planning, design, development and implementation

2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 14-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert H Eikelboom ◽  
Marcus D Atlas ◽  
Mathew N Mbao ◽  
Mark Gallop
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Software Package ◽  
Video Sequences ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
Still Images ◽  
Remote Areas ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Rural And Remote Areas

summary The view of the tympanic membrane of the ear provides the specialist with important information for the assessment of ear disease and for treatment planning. In rural and remote areas, the incidence of ear disease is high but access to ear specialists is limited. As part of a project to deliver tele-otoscopy services to remote Western Australia, we have investigated various aspects of a tele-otoscopy system. We found that the MedRX video-otoscope is relatively safe to use and produces images of very good quality. A confident diagnosis could be made from still images compressed to 20 kByte. Video sequences could be compressed to a ratio of 1:300. Furthermore, a software package has been developed, and we are developing a training course for health-care workers in remote areas.

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