Experiences of working as early career allied health professionals and doctors in rural and remote environments: a qualitative systematic review

Background

Maintaining a health professional workforce in rural and remote areas poses a significant challenge internationally. A range of recruitment and retention strategies have had varying success and these are  generally developed from the collective experience of all health professions, rather than targeted to professional groups with differing educational and support contexts. This review explores, compares and synthesises the evidence examining the experience of early career rural and remote allied health professionals and doctors to better understand both the profession specific, and common factors that influence their experience.

Methods

Qualitative studies that include early career allied health professionals’ or doctors’ experiences of working in rural or remote areas and the personal and professional factors that impact on this experience were considered. A systematic search was completed across five databases and three grey literature repositories to identify published and unpublished studies. Studies published since 2000 in English were considered. Studies were screened for inclusion and critically appraised by two independent reviewers. Data was extracted and assigned a level of credibility. Data synthesis adhered to the JBI meta-aggregative approach.

Results

Of the 1408 identified articles, 30 papers were eligible for inclusion, with one rated as low in quality and all others moderate or high quality. A total of 23 categories, 334 findings and illustrations were aggregated into three synthesised findings for both professional groups including: making a difference through professional and organisational factors, working in rural areas can offer unique and rewarding opportunities for early career allied health professionals and doctors, and personal and community influences make a difference. A rich dataset was obtained and findings illustrate similarities including the need to consider personal factors, and differences, including discipline specific supervision for allied health professionals and local supervision for doctors.

Conclusions

Strategies to enhance the experience of both allied health professionals and doctors in rural and remote areas include enabling career paths through structured training programs, hands on learning opportunities, quality supervision and community immersion.

Systematic review registration number

PROSPERO CRD42021223187.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-022-08261-2.

Impact of a home-based physical activity intervention upon exercise behaviors and anthropometric measures in women undergoing treatment for early stage breast cancer

Abstract #1117

Women who gain weight after breast cancer diagnosis have a worse prognosis compared to women who avoid weight gain. Weight gain is especially common in women treated with adjuvant chemotherapy, many of whom develop sarcopenic obesity which involves an increase in body fat and loss of lean muscle mass. This type of weight gain has been associated with increases in insulin and other metabolic hormones linked to breast cancer risk and prognosis. Studies have demonstrated that weight gain in breast cancer patients occurs, at least in part, due to decreases in physical activity during and after treatment.
 Methods: In this single arm pilot study, sedentary women with early stage breast cancer participated in a home-based exercise intervention during adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiation. The target activity goal was 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week. Participants underwent evaluation of anthropometric measures, fitness (measured by modified Bruce ramp protocol treadmill test), fatigue and quality of life at baseline and after the 12 week intervention. Change in these measures over time was assessed using Wilcoxon signed rank test of the change scores (post-pre values).
 Results: Forty-one women were enrolled in the study and 33 (80%) completed the 12 week protocol. Average age of participants was 47, and women were an average of 4.5 months from diagnosis at the time of enrollment. All but one of the women (98%) received adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Baseline and week 12 values for study variables are presented in table 1. Participants were sedentary at baseline, engaging in an average of 13 minutes of weekly activity. Physical activity increased significantly during the study period, with participants averaging 105 minutes of activity per week. Participants avoided weight gain and increases in body fat over the course of the study, and experienced significant improvements in fitness, quality of life and fatigue scores.
 
 Discussion: Women who completed a 12-week home-based exercise intervention during adjuvant therapy significantly increased activity and avoided weight gain, which has been associated with poor prognosis in early stage breast cancer. This trial, in conjunction with other exercise studies in breast cancer patients, provides preliminary data to help guide the design of randomized trials examining the impact of exercise upon breast cancer outcomes.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 1117.

Informal faculty development in health professions education: Identifying opportunities in everyday practice

INTRODUCTION

Faculty development (FD) supports health professions educators to develop knowledge, skills, and expertise. Whilst formal FD is a focus in the health professions education (HPE) literature, little is known about how FD occurs informally. We sought to identify opportunities and constraints for informal FD amongst health professions educators in the academic (university) setting and understand how they engage with these opportunities.

METHODS

This exploratory study was conducted in one Australian university. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with undergraduate and postgraduate teachers and assessors (teachers) (n = 10); teaching team and program leaders (mid-level leaders) (n = 8); and senior (university-level) leaders (n = 2). We analysed data thematically and applied situated cognition theory.

RESULTS

We identified three everyday educational practices that provide opportunities for informal FD in the academic setting: (1) applying evidence to; (2) evaluating; and (3) sharing, educational practice. Engaging with these opportunities was shaped by individuals' motivation and proactivity to engage in professional learning (effectivities) and organisational culture and structures (constraints).

CONCLUSION

Applying evidence to, evaluating, and sharing educational practice provide valuable contexts for ongoing learning in the academic setting. Assisting educators and organisations to recognise and leverage these 'in situ' FD opportunities is vital in fostering a continuous learning culture.

Guidelines for measurement of blood pressure, follow-up, and lifestyle counselling. Canadian Coalition for High Blood Pressure Prevention and Control

As part of the Coalition's mandate to promote the prevention and control of high blood pressure in Canada, an interdisciplinary Workgroup was established to review and update the existing standards (1987) for blood pressure measurement and referral guidelines. The intent was to prepare a scientifically based document which contained practical guidelines for the measurement of blood pressure and criteria for follow-up, and one which promoted the concept of cardiovascular health in the assessment and interpretation of blood pressure readings. These guidelines were primarily developed to assist primary health care providers and/or clinicians to assess, monitor, counsel, refer, and develop treatment plans for adults-at-risk for high blood pressure or those with the confirmed diagnosis of hypertension. Readers are referred to The Canadian Hypertension Society Consensus Conference series (Canadian Medical Association Journal 1993) for specific guidelines on the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of hypertension. The document is divided into three sections: 1. Measurement of blood pressure 2. Criteria for follow-up 3. Guidelines for lifestyle counselling Each section cites the references used in developing the guidelines and where relevant, identifies other resources which can be used in clinical practice.

Image Region Labelling by Humans and by an Artificial Neural Network

We reported (Troscianko et al, 1995 Perception24 Supplement, 18) that a neural network has been developed which is capable of labelling objects in natural scenes by first segmenting a scene, then obtaining a description of each segment in terms of a set of features. A neural net is then trained to label the segments on the basis of the feature set. The question we are now addressing is: how important is each of these features to overall performance, both in human and machine vision?

We carried out an experiment in which human subjects were trained in the same labelling task as the neural net. Individual segments of scenes (sometimes corresponding to a whole object, eg a car, and sometimes an incomplete region, eg part of the sky) were presented on a screen, and the subject asked to label the scene as one of eleven possible types of object (sky, vegetation, vehicle …). Feedback was given and the learning curve monitored. When the learning curve was flat, each subject's performance was investigated with both intact and degraded stimuli. The degradation consisted of partial representation of the information, such as presenting just the outer boundary, or the average colour, or the average luminance, or randomising the size, position, and texture of the segment.

The results suggest that this degradation produces significant changes in performance (F9,7=4.4, p=0.0005). A posteriori analysis indicates that certain attributes (particularly texture, boundary-only, colour-averaging) are particularly influential in mediating performance. A similar set of results was obtained by training the network on similarly degraded data. The results imply: (1) that a neural net can provide a useful model of human object labelling processes, and (2) that certain features are more important than others in mediating such performance.

The 2004 Canadian recommendations for the management of hypertension: Part III--Lifestyle modifications to prevent and control hypertension

OBJECTIVE

To provide updated, evidence-based recommendations regarding the role of lifestyle modification in the treatment and prevention of hypertension.

OUTCOMES

Lifestyle modification interventions including exercise, weight reduction, alcohol consumption, dietary modification, intake of dietary cations and stress management are reviewed. Antioxidants and fish oil supplements are also reviewed, although specific recommendations cannot be made at present.

EVIDENCE

MEDLINE searches were conducted from January 2002 to September 2003 to update the 2001 recommendations for the management of hypertension. Supplemental searches in the Cochrane Collaboration databases were also performed. Reference lists were scanned, experts were contacted, and the personal files of the subgroup members and authors were used to identify additional published studies. All relevant articles were reviewed and appraised independently using prespecified levels of evidence by content and methodology experts.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Key recommendations include the following: lifestyle modification should be extended to nonhypertensive individuals who are at risk for developing high blood pressure; 30 min to 45 min of aerobic exercise should be performed on most days (four to five days) of the week; an ideal body weight (body mass index 18.5 kg/m2 to 24.9 kg/m2) should be maintained and weight loss strategies should use a multidisciplinary approach; alcohol consumption should be limited to two drinks or fewer per day, and weekly intake should not exceed 14 standard drinks for men and nine standard drinks for women; a reduced fat, low cholesterol diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables and low fat dairy products, and maintains an adequate intake of potassium, magnesium and calcium, should be followed; salt intake should be restricted to 65 mmol/day to 100 mmol/day in hypertensive individuals and less than 100 mmol/day in normotensive individuals at high risk for developing hypertension; and stress management should be considered as an intervention in selected individuals.

VALIDATION

All recommendations were graded according to the strength of the evidence and voted on by the Canadian Hypertension Education Program Evidence-Based Recommendations Task Force. Individuals with irreconcilable competing interests (declared by all members, compiled and circulated before the meeting) relative to any specific recommendation were excluded from voting on that recommendation. Only those recommendations achieving at least 70% consensus are reported here. These guidelines will continue to be updated annually.

Attitudes to Short-Term Staffing and Workforce Priorities of Community Users of Remote Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Services: A Qualitative Study

In recent years, there has been an increasing trend of short-term staffing in remote health services, including Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs). This paper explores the perceptions of clinic users' experiences at their local clinic and how short-term staffing impacts the quality of service, acceptability, cultural safety, and continuity of care in ACCHSs in remote communities. Using purposeful and convenience sampling, community users (aged 18+) of the eleven partnering ACCHSs were invited to provide feedback about their experiences through an interview or focus group. Between February 2020 and October 2021, 331 participants from the Northern Territory and Western Australia were recruited to participate in the study. Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim, and written notes and transcriptions were analysed deductively. Overall, community users felt that their ACCHS provided comprehensive healthcare that was responsive to their health needs and was delivered by well-trained staff. In general, community users expressed concern over the high turnover of staff. Recognising the challenges of attracting and retaining staff in remote Australia, community users were accepting of rotation and job-sharing arrangements, whereby staff return periodically to the same community, as this facilitated trusting relationships. Increased support for local employment pathways, the use of interpreters to enhance communication with healthcare services, and services for men delivered by men were priorities for clinic users.

Assessing pain using facial recognition software among Aboriginal aged care residents with cognitive impairment: A retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To assess the observed pain behaviours of Aboriginal residents with cognitive impairment in aged care facilities and compare these results with a matched national sample of non-Aboriginal residents.

METHODS

Observed pain behaviours of Aboriginal residents (N = 87) with cognitive impairment in aged care facilities across the Northern Territory of Australia were assessed using PainChek® Adult and compared with data from a matched national sample of non-Aboriginal residents (N = 420). Pain scores were derived from inbuilt automated facial recognition and analysis software plus a series of digital checklists requiring manual input by care staff.

RESULTS

The median total pain score for the Aboriginal residents was 2 (IQR 1-4) and for the matched external residents was 3 (IQR 2-5). In a multivariable negative binomial regression model, this difference in total pain score was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The pain score derived from the automated facial recognition and analysis component of the PainChek® Adult app was not statistically different between the two groups when adjusted for multiple observations and context of observation (odds ratio = 1.06, 95% confidence interval 0.97-1.16, p = 0.169).

CONCLUSIONS

We found under-reporting of observed pain signs and behaviours for Aboriginal aged care residents by assessors. Further training in the assessment of pain in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aged care residents may be necessary and a continuing shift in clinical practice to using technology and point-of-care assessment.

Co‐creation of a student‐implemented allied health service in a First Nations remote community of East Arnhem Land, Australia

OBJECTIVES

To co-create a culturally responsive student-implemented allied health service in a First Nations remote community and to determine the feasibility and acceptability of the service.

DESIGN

Co-creation involved a pragmatic iterative process, based on participatory action research approaches. Feasibility and acceptability were determined using a mixed-method pre/postdesign.

SETTING

The service was in Nhulunbuy, Yirrkala and surrounding remote First Nations communities of East Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia.

PARTICIPANTS

Co-creation of the service was facilitated by the Northern Australia Research Network, guided by Indigenous Allied Health Australia leadership, with East Arnhem local community organisations and community members. Co-creation of the day-to-day service model involved local cultural consultants, service users and their families, staff of community organisations, students, supervisors, placement coordinators and a site administrator.

FINDINGS

A reciprocal learning service model was co-created in which culturally responsive practice was embedded. The service was feasible and acceptable: it was delivered as intended; resources were adequate; the service management system was workable; and the service was acceptable. Health outcome measures, however, were not appropriate to demonstrate impact, particularly through the lens of the people of East Arnhem. Recommendations for the service included: continuing the reciprocal learning service model in the long term; expanding to include all age groups; and connecting with visiting and community-based services.

CONCLUSION

The co-created service was feasible and acceptable. To demonstrate the impact of the service, measures of health service impact that are important to First Nations people living in remote communities of northern Australia are required.