Politics, policies and processes: a multidisciplinary and multimethods research programme on policies on the social determinants of health inequity in Australia

Barriers and facilitators to women's access to sexual and reproductive health services in rural Australia: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in rural Australia presents complex challenges that negatively impact women's health and exacerbate health inequities across the life course. This systematic review synthesises evidence on the barriers and facilitators to women's access to SRH services in rural Australia, considering both supply and demand dimensions.

METHODS

We systematically searched peer-reviewed literature published between 2013 and 2023. Search terms were derived from three major topics: (1) women living in rural Australia; (2) spatial or aspatial access to SRH services; and (3) barriers or facilitators. We adopted the "best fit" approach to framework synthesis using the patient-centred access to healthcare model.

RESULTS

Database searches retrieved 1,024 unique records, with 50 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Most studies analysed access to primary care services (n = 29; 58%), followed by hospital services (n = 14; 28%), health promotion and prevention (n = 5; 10%), and specialist care (n = 2; 4%). The type of care accessed was mostly maternity care (n = 21; 42%), followed by abortion services (n = 11; 22%), screening and testing (n = 8; 16%), other women's health services (n = 6; 12%), and family planning (n = 4; 8%). There were numerous barriers and facilitators in access from supply and demand dimensions. Supply barriers included fragmented healthcare pathways, negative provider attitudes, limited availability of services and providers, and high costs. Demand barriers encompassed limited awareness, travel challenges, and financial burdens. Supply facilitators included health system improvements, inclusive practices, enhanced local services, and patient-centred care. Demand facilitators involved knowledge and awareness, care preferences, and telehealth accessibility.

CONCLUSION

This review highlights the urgent need for targeted interventions to address SRH service access disparities in rural Australia. Understanding the barriers and facilitators women face in accessing SRH services within the rural context is necessary to develop comprehensive healthcare policies and interventions informed by a nuanced understanding of rural women's diverse needs.

Implementing 'Closing the Gap' policy through mainstream service provision: A South Australian case study

ISSUE ADDRESSED

The Australian government's 'Closing the Gap' (CTG) strategy has been implemented via multiple strategies. We examined CTG policy in early childhood within Southern Adelaide during the first decade of implementation (2008-2018) and critiqued the complexity and challenges of policy that is designed to promote health and well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children but lacked Aboriginal control.

METHODS

A qualitative case study was conducted in Southern Adelaide, and we interviewed 16 policy actors from health and early childhood education sectors. Thematic analysis revealed key themes to show how policy had been implemented through mainstream structures.

RESULTS

The rapid roll out of the CTG strategy, the limitations of short-term funding, cuts to Aboriginal health services, tokenistic consultation, and the mainstreaming of service provision were key features of policy implementation. The influence of Aboriginal leaders varied across implementation contexts. Participants advocated for services in health and education that are culturally safe to improve health of children, families, and communities.

CONCLUSIONS

The implementation of the CTG strategy in Southern Adelaide was rushed, complex, and lacking Aboriginal control. This contributed to the marginalisation of Aboriginal leaders, and disengagement of families and communities. A more collaborative and Aboriginal led process for policy implementation is essential to reform policy implementation and address health inequity. SO WHAT?: Findings from this study suggest that policy has continued to be implemented I ways that reflect colonial power imbalances. Alternative processes that promote the recognition of Indigenous rights must be considered if we are to achieve the targets set within the CTG strategy.

"Listen with your ears and eyes and heart and your minds and your soul": Implications for decolonising consultation and occupational therapy from case studies on "Closing the Gap" policy implementation

BACKGROUND

Including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities through consultation has been a key feature of policy implementation throughout the Australian Government's "Closing the Gap" (CTG) strategy. However, consultation often reinforces power imbalances between government and local community and can undervalue or marginalise Indigenous knowledge and leadership. Occupational therapy has a short history of examining colonial power structures within the profession, but there has been limited progress to decolonise consultation and practice.

METHODS

Drawing on decolonising research methodology and positioned at the interface of knowledge, comparative case studies were used to understand policy implementation in two regions. In Shepparton, Victoria, CTG policy was implemented predominately through an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, and in Southern Adelaide, South Australia, CTG policy was implemented through mainstream state government and non-government providers in the absence of a local Aboriginal-controlled organisation. Findings were examined critically to identify implications for occupational therapy.

RESULTS

Our case studies showed that policy stakeholders perceived consultation to be tokenistic and partnerships were viewed differently by Aboriginal and non-Indigenous participants. Participants identified the need to move beyond a rhetoric of "working with" Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, to promote Aboriginal leadership and really listen to community so that policy can respond to local need. The findings of this research show that Aboriginal-controlled services are best positioned to conduct and respond to community consultation.

CONCLUSION

A decolonising approach to consultation would shift the status quo in policy implementation in ways that realign power away from colonial structures towards collaboration with Indigenous leadership and the promotion of Aboriginal-controlled services. There are lessons for occupational therapy from this research on policy implementation on authentic, decolonised consultation as a key feature of policy implementation. Shifting power imbalances through prioritising Indigenous leadership and honouring what is shared can drive change in CTG policy implementation processes and outcomes.

Designing a Health Strategy at Local Level: A Conceptual Framework for Local Governments

This article addresses a gap in the literature regarding the design and implementation of health and well-being strategies by local governments. It presents a conceptual framework that can help local governments to include health and well-being among their political priorities by promoting the participation of local stakeholders and the community in general. The article also highlights the important role that local governments play in public health, especially in times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. To demonstrate the approach, the manuscript explores the recent shift toward decentralization in Portugal and the resulting emphasis on local governments leading new approaches to health governance. The planning process for Arouca's Health Strategy, an inland municipality, is used as a case study to demonstrate the approach, which emphasizes the meaningful participation of the entire local community. The article concludes by noting that there is still significant room for improvement in all areas related to health and well-being and a need to adopt new multistakeholder governance arrangements to sustain the institutional capacity for upcoming strategies.

Assessment of the quality of services of reception with risk classification in obstetrics: a scoping review protocol

INTRODUCTION

Quality assessment in the context of maternal health services in Brazil has been the object of study due to maternal mortality rates that remain high in the country, in addition to the high costs of healthcare and the increased level of complexity in care. To change this situation, several strategies have been proposed to improve care for women. One of them is the improvement of women's access to maternal and child services through the Reception with Obstetric Risk Classification (ACCRO).

OBJECTIVE

To map and synthesise scientific evidence in the literature of studies that assess the quality of ACCRO services from the perspective of users, professionals and managers, as well as map tools that assess the quality of these services and their results.

METHOD AND ANALYSIS

It is a scoping protocol that follows the method recommended by the Joanna Briggs Institute, other authors and guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. The Population, Concept and Context strategy will systematise the search in PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, LILACS, SCOPUS and Web of Science and PsycINFO databases. For the grey literature search: Google Scholar, Theses and Dissertations Bank of the Brazilian Institute of Information in Science and Technology, Federated Network of Institutional Repositories of Scientific Publications, Online Theses Electronic Service, Open Access Scientific Repository of Portugal, Academic Archive Online. Searches and application of selection criteria will be performed according to the PRISMA-ScR flow approach. The articles will be selected from the Web Rayyan platform, the results will be analysed and presented in a narrative and thematically organised way. This scoping review is expected to contribute to the feasibility of assessing the quality of ACCRO services.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethics approval is not required. Results will be disseminated through professional networks, conference presentations and publication in a scientific journal. This protocol has been registered with OSF (https://osf.io/sp5df).

The application of spatial measures to analyse health service accessibility in Australia: a systematic review and recommendations for future practice

BACKGROUND

Australia's inequitable distribution of health services is well documented. Spatial access relates to the geographic limitations affecting the availability and accessibility of healthcare practitioners and services. Issues associated with spatial access are often influenced by Australia's vast landmass, challenging environments, uneven population concentration, and sparsely distributed populations in rural and remote areas. Measuring access contributes to a broader understanding of the performance of health systems, particularly in rural/remote areas. This systematic review synthesises the evidence identifying what spatial measures and geographic classifications are used and how they are applied in the Australian peer-reviewed literature.

METHODS

A systematic search of peer-reviewed literature published between 2002 and 2022 was undertaken using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology. Search terms were derived from three major topics, including: [1] Australian population; [2] spatial analysis of health service accessibility; and [3] objective physical access measures.

RESULTS

Database searches retrieved 1,381 unique records. Records were screened for eligibility, resulting in 82 articles for inclusion. Most articles analysed access to primary health services (n = 50; 61%), followed by specialist care (n = 17; 21%), hospital services (n = 12; 15%), and health promotion and prevention (n = 3; 4%). The geographic scope of the 82 articles included national (n = 33; 40%), state (n = 27; 33%), metropolitan (n = 18; 22%), and specified regional / rural /remote area (n = 4; 5%). Most articles used distance-based physical access measures, including travel time (n = 30; 37%) and travel distance along a road network (n = 21; 26%), and Euclidean distance (n = 24; 29%).

CONCLUSION

This review is the first comprehensive systematic review to synthesise the evidence on how spatial measures have been applied to measure health service accessibility in the Australian context over the past two decades. Objective and transparent access measures that are fit for purpose are imperative to address persistent health inequities and inform equitable resource distribution and evidence-based policymaking.

Implementing Universal and Targeted Policies for Health Equity: Lessons From Australia

BACKGROUND

Debate continues in public health on the roles of universal or targeted policies in providing equity of access to health-related goods or services, and thereby contributing to health equity. Research examining policy implementation can provide fresh insights on these issues.

METHODS

We synthesised findings across case studies of policy implementation in four policy areas of primary healthcare (PHC), telecommunications, Indigenous health and land use policy, which incorporated a variety of universal and targeted policy structures. We analysed findings according to three criteria of equity in access - availability, affordability and acceptability - and definitions of universal, proportionate-universal, targeted and residual policies, and devolved governance structures.

RESULTS

Our analysis showed that existing universal, proportionate-universal and targeted policies in an Australian context displayed strengths and weaknesses in addressing availability, affordability and acceptability dimensions of equity in access.

CONCLUSION

While residualist policies are unfavourable to equity of access, other forms of targeting as well as universal and proportionate-universal structure have the potential to be combined in context-specific ways favourable to equity of access to health-related goods and services. To optimise benefits, policies should address equity of access in the three dimensions of availability, affordability and acceptability. Devolved governance structures have the potential to augment equity benefits of either universal or targeted policies.

Creating Political Will for Action on Health Equity: Practical Lessons for Public Health Policy Actors

BACKGROUND

Despite growing evidence on the social determinants of health and health equity, political action has not been commensurate. Little is known about how political will operates to enact pro-equity policies or not. This paper examines how political will for pro-health equity policies is created through analysis of public policy in multiple sectors.

METHODS

Eight case studies were undertaken of Australian policies where action was either taken or proposed on health equity or where the policy seemed contrary to such action. Telephone or face-to-face interviews were conducted with 192 state and non-state participants. Analysis of the cases was done through thematic analysis and triangulated with document analysis.

RESULTS

Our case studies covered: trade agreements, primary healthcare (PHC), work conditions, digital access, urban planning, social welfare and Indigenous health. The extent of political will for pro-equity policies depended on the strength of path dependency, electoral concerns, political philosophy, the strength of economic and biomedical framings, whether elite interests were threatened and the success or otherwise of civil society lobbying.

CONCLUSION

Public health policy actors may create political will through: determining how path dependency that exacerbates health inequities can be broken, working with sympathetic political forces committed to fairness; framing policy options in a way that makes them more likely to be adopted, outlining factors to consider in challenging the interests of elites, and considering the extent to which civil society will work in favour of equitable policies. A shift in norms is required to stress equity and the right to health.

Theories of Indigenous and non-Indigenous wellbeing in Australian health policies

Governments in Australia and internationally show growing interest in wellbeing as a policy goal; however, such interests raise questions about the theories or definitions of wellbeing they will apply. Choices about how wellbeing is defined for policy purposes are likely to delimit the strategies applied. Wholly individualized conceptualizations of wellbeing may lead to policy focused narrowly on 'improving' individuals rather than on creating favourable social conditions. Also, Indigenous theories of wellbeing may have much to offer policy for public wellbeing, but little research has examined whether this potential is considered in contemporary health policy. We report on research examining Indigenous and non-Indigenous theories of wellbeing in a representative sample of current Australian health policy documents. We examine what theories or definitions of wellbeing are present, whether policies recognize social determinants of health; if 'lifestyle drift' is present; how Indigenous and non-Indigenous theories of wellbeing are positioned; and whether policies propose strategies consistent with their definitions of wellbeing. We discuss implications of current approaches for effective policy to promote Indigenous and non-Indigenous wellbeing.

Building back better: Imagining an occupational therapy for a post-COVID-19 world

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has disrupted occupations and lives of people around the world, has simultaneously exposed deeply rooted social inequities and structural injustices that have negated the facile claim that "we're all in this together." But the pandemic has also opened up opportunities to imagine other ways of living and doing in the future. This paper imagines some possibilities for shaping occupational therapy's future practices and seeks to illustrate why it is both timely and necessary to re-imagine occupational therapy in 2021.

METHODS

Drawing from epidemiological research, the paper explores the inequitable impacts of COVID-19, environmental degradation, and multiple social determinants on people's real opportunities for health, wellbeing, and occupational engagement.

FINDINGS

Evidence presented in this paper challenges occupational therapy's individualised approach towards wellbeing and contests the limited parameters of occupations "that matter" that are prioritised and promoted within the profession. In response, the paper seeks to expose the specific, political, economic, and ableist ideology that has effectively shaped the occupational therapy profession's assumptions, models, theories, and the practices these inform.

CONCLUSION

Drawing from the "Build back better" approach to post-disaster recovery-with its dual attentions to wellbeing, equity, and inclusivity and to physical, social, cultural, economic, and environmental vulnerabilities-this paper imagines an occupational therapy for a post-COVID-19 world; an occupational therapy that takes seriously the premise that occupations and people are inseparable from their environments; a profession that no longer colludes in individualising problems that are inherently social or in depoliticising the systemic social and economic inequalities that create stress and illness; an occupational therapy that no longer promotes the values of neoliberal ableism; and an occupational therapy dedicated to expanding people's just and equitable opportunities to engage in meaningful occupations that contribute positively to their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of their communities.

Power and the people's health

Public policy plays a central role in creating and distributing resources and conditions of daily life that matter for health equity. Policy agendas have tended to focus on health care delivery and individualised interventions. Asking why there is a lack of policy action on structural drivers of health inequities raises questions about power inequities in policy systems that maintain the status quo. In this paper we investigate the power dynamics shaping public policy and implications for health equity. Using a Health Equity Power Framework (HEPF), we examined data from 158 qualitative interviews with government, industry and civil society actors across seven policy case studies covering areas of macroeconomics, employment, social protection, welfare reform, health care, infrastructure and land use planning. The influence of structures of capitalism, neoliberalism, sexism, colonisation, racism and biomedicalism were widely evident, manifested through the ideologies, behaviours and discourses of state, market, and civil actors and the institutional spaces they occupied. Structurally less powerful public interest actors made creative use of existing or new institutional spaces, and used network, discursive and moral power to influence policy, with some success in moderating inequities in structural and institutional forms of power. Our hope is that the methodological advancement and empirical data presented here helps to illuminate how public interest actors can navigate structural power inequities in the policy system in order to disrupt the status quo and advance a comprehensive policy agenda on the social determinants of health equity. However, this analysis highlights the unrealistic expectation of turning health inequities around in a short time given the long-term embedded power dynamics and inequities within policy systems under late capitalism. Achieving health equity is a power-saturated long game.

How do advisory groups contribute to healthy public policy research?

OBJECTIVES

This paper reflects on experiences of Australian public health researchers and members of research policy advisory groups (PAGs) in working with PAGs. It considers their benefits and challenges for building researcher and policy actor collaboration and ensuring policy relevance of research.

METHODS

Four research projects conducted between 2015 and 2020 were selected for analysis. 68 PAG members from Australian federal, state and local governments, NGOs and academics participated in providing feedback. Thematic analysis of participant feedback and researchers' critical reflections on the effectiveness and capacity of PAGs to support research translation was undertaken.

RESULTS

PAGs benefit the research process and can facilitate knowledge translation. PAG membership changes, differing researcher and policy actor agendas, and researchers' need to balance policy relevance and research independence are challenges when working with PAGs. Strategies to improve the function of health policy research PAGs are identified.

CONCLUSIONS

The paper suggests a broader adapted approach for gaining the benefits and addressing the challenges of working with PAGs. It opens theoretical and practical discussion of PAGs' role and how they can increase research translation into policy.

Quantitative measures of health policy implementation determinants and outcomes: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Public policy has tremendous impacts on population health. While policy development has been extensively studied, policy implementation research is newer and relies largely on qualitative methods. Quantitative measures are needed to disentangle differential impacts of policy implementation determinants (i.e., barriers and facilitators) and outcomes to ensure intended benefits are realized. Implementation outcomes include acceptability, adoption, appropriateness, compliance/fidelity, feasibility, penetration, sustainability, and costs. This systematic review identified quantitative measures that are used to assess health policy implementation determinants and outcomes and evaluated the quality of these measures.

METHODS

Three frameworks guided the review: Implementation Outcomes Framework (Proctor et al.), Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (Damschroder et al.), and Policy Implementation Determinants Framework (Bullock et al.). Six databases were searched: Medline, CINAHL Plus, PsycInfo, PAIS, ERIC, and Worldwide Political. Searches were limited to English language, peer-reviewed journal articles published January 1995 to April 2019. Search terms addressed four levels: health, public policy, implementation, and measurement. Empirical studies of public policies addressing physical or behavioral health with quantitative self-report or archival measures of policy implementation with at least two items assessing implementation outcomes or determinants were included. Consensus scoring of the Psychometric and Pragmatic Evidence Rating Scale assessed the quality of measures.

RESULTS

Database searches yielded 8417 non-duplicate studies, with 870 (10.3%) undergoing full-text screening, yielding 66 studies. From the included studies, 70 unique measures were identified to quantitatively assess implementation outcomes and/or determinants. Acceptability, feasibility, appropriateness, and compliance were the most commonly measured implementation outcomes. Common determinants in the identified measures were organizational culture, implementation climate, and readiness for implementation, each aspects of the internal setting. Pragmatic quality ranged from adequate to good, with most measures freely available, brief, and at high school reading level. Few psychometric properties were reported.

CONCLUSIONS

Well-tested quantitative measures of implementation internal settings were under-utilized in policy studies. Further development and testing of external context measures are warranted. This review is intended to stimulate measure development and high-quality assessment of health policy implementation outcomes and determinants to help practitioners and researchers spread evidence-informed policies to improve population health.

REGISTRATION

Not registered.

Collaboration in health promotion for newly arrived migrants in Sweden

As a group, newly arrived migrants in Sweden face inequities in health compared to the general population. Successful promotion of population health requires awareness of and focus on health from several sectors of society. In light of this, the aim was to study the views of local authority officials on collaboration in health promotion activities for newly arrived migrants. Data was collected through five focus group interviews with 23 local authority officials working with the integration of newly arrived migrants in the Establishment Program in a municipality or at the Employment Services in northern Sweden. An inductive qualitative latent content analysis was performed, and the analysis showed that the participating officials considered health promotion as desirable in the Establishment Program, but it also raised complex issues within the existing organisations. The officials described unclear roles, but also possible changes to the organisation that would improve the possibility of working to promote health. The present study adds to the relatively limited knowledge of health promotion in integration activities and offers clinical relevance for policymakers through the officials' suggestions for improvements in the Establishment Program. It also raises important questions for further research.

Bringing in critical frameworks to investigate agenda-setting for the social determinants of health: Lessons from a multiple framework analysis

Public health scholars have increasingly called for greater attention to the political and policy processes that enable or constrain successful prioritisation of health on government agendas. Much research investigating policy agenda-setting in public health has focused on the use of single frameworks, in particular Kingdon's Multiple Streams Framework. More recently, scholars have argued that blending complementary policy frameworks can enable greater attention to a wider range of drivers that influence government agendas away from or towards progressive social and health policies. In this paper, we draw on multiple policy process frameworks in a study of agenda-setting for Australia's first national paid parental leave scheme. Introduced in 2011 after decades of advocacy, this scheme provides federal government-funded parental leave for eighteen weeks' pay at the minimum wage for primary caregivers, with evaluations showing improved health and equity outcomes. Drawing on empirical data collected from documentary sources and interviews with 25 key policy informants, we find that a combination of policy frameworks; in this case, Kingdon's Multiple Streams; Advocacy Coalition Framework; Punctuated Equilibrium; Narrative Policy Framework; and Policy Feedback helped explain how this landmark social policy came about. However, none of these frameworks were adequate without situating them within a critical feminist lens which enabled an explicit focus on the gendered nature of power. We argue that, alongside making use of policy process frameworks, social determinants of health policy research needs to engage with critical frameworks which share an explicit agenda for improving people's daily living conditions and the re-distribution of power, money, and resources in ways that promote health equity.

Researching Healthy Public Policy: Navigating the 'Black Box' Means Thinking More About Power Comment on "Developing a Framework for a Program Theory-Based Approach to Evaluating Policy Processes and Outcomes: Health in All Policies in South Australia"

Lawless et al provide a valuable narrative of using program logic to develop an evaluation of Health in All Policies (HiAP) in South Australia. In this commentary I argue that the paper and analysis is an extremely useful example of navigating the supposed black box of policy-making. However the original makes the reader work too hard and is distracting from the main narrative of explaining the logic behind the HiAP approach in South Australia. My response covers avoiding epistemological traps and weighing up the pragmatics of collaborative policy research with more complex institutional policy issues like power.

Addressing Health Equity Through Action on the Social Determinants of Health: A Global Review of Policy Outcome Evaluation Methods

Background: Epidemiological evidence on the social determinants of health inequity is well-advanced, but considerably less attention has been given to evaluating the impact of public policies addressing those social determinants. Methodological challenges to produce evidence on policy outcomes present a significant barrier to mobilising policy actions for health equities. This review aims to examine methodological approaches to policy evaluation of health equity outcomes and identify promising approaches for future research.

Methods: We conducted a systematic narrative review of literature critically evaluating policy impact on health equity, synthesizing information on the methodological approaches used. We searched and screened records from five electronic databases, using pre-defined protocols resulting in a total of 50 studies included for review. We coded the studies according to (1) type of policy analysed; (2) research design; (3) analytical techniques; (4) health outcomes; and (5) equity dimensions evaluated.

Results: We found a growing number of a wide range of policies being evaluated for health equity outcomes using a variety of research designs. The majority of studies employed an observational research design, most of which were cross-sectional, however, other approaches included experimental designs, simulation modelling, and meta-analysis. Regression techniques dominated the analytical approaches, although a number of novel techniques were used which may offer advantages over traditional regression analysis for the study of distributional impacts of policy. Few studies made intra-national or cross-national comparisons or collected primary data. Despite longstanding challenges of attribution in policy outcome evaluation, the majority of the studies attributed change in physical or mental health outcomes to the policy being evaluated.

Conclusion: Our review provides an overview of methodological approaches to health equity policy outcome evaluation, demonstrating what is most commonplace and opportunities from novel approaches. We found the number of studies evaluating the impacts of public policies on health equity are on the rise, but this area of policy evaluation still requires more attention given growing inequities.