The Murray-Darling Medical Schools Network Research Collaboration: protocol for a longitudinal, multi-university program of work to explore the effect of rurally based medical school programs in the Murray-Darling region.

INTRODUCTION: There is now strong evidence to support the positive impact of place-based medical education on the recruitment and retention of the rural health workforce in Australia. Much of this work, however, has been undertaken in the context of 'extended rural clinical placement' - students undertaking part of their medical degree in a rural location. Until recently, there were only a few places in Australia in which students could undertake the entirety of their medical degree in a rural area. With the introduction of the Murray-Darling Medical Schools Network (MDMSN) initiative, this dynamic is changing. The MDMSN is part of the Stronger Rural Health Strategy and builds on the Australian Government's existing Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training Program to establish a network of rurally based medical programs in the Murray-Darling region. The MDMSN offers a unique opportunity to explore the effect of complete rural immersion during medical school on subsequent rural practice. This article describes the establishment of a research collaboration intended to ensure the harmonisation of research data collection from the outset of the MDMSN program. METHODS: The MDMSN research collaboration is a longitudinal, multi-university program of work to explore the effect of rurally based medical school programs in the Murray-Darling region. Initially it has been agreed that administrative student data will be collected from existing university datasets to help characterise this novel student cohort. Each university will then distribute an entry survey to all first-year MDMSN students. The survey will collect demographic information as well as information regarding rural background, preferences and future practice intention. Questions have been aligned with and adapted from the Medical Schools Outcomes Database survey, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and from the literature. This information will be combined with graduate information from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. RESULTS: The MDMSN research collaboration will work toward the co-design of research projects, to facilitate and progress multi-site research addressing nationally relevant research questions. Early research efforts are focused on our ability to better understand the new cohort of students embarking on rurally based medical education, their practice intentions and realisation. Subsequent work of the collaboration may lead to deeper understanding of the rural student experience, any effect of 'place', changes in student professional identity over time, and their relationship to subsequent rural practice. CONCLUSION: The MDMSN research collaboration is a proactive initiative that brings together data and experience from five new rurally based medical programs, and answers calls for multi-institution and longitudinal studies. It is uniquely placed to capture the impact of the MDMSN program, including the effect of complete rural immersion on the future practice location of these graduates. Ultimately, the combined research efforts of the MDMSN research collaboration will add knowledge to address the known rural workforce maldistribution, particularly how to attract and retain medical workforce.

Geographic variation in emergency department presentations among youth (10-24 years), New South Wales 2019: An epidemiological study.

OBJECTIVE: To characterise ED presentations among youth in New South Wales (NSW) by geographic remoteness for 2019 and determine if intra-regional (inland vs coastal) variations exist. METHODS: A population-based, retrospective descriptive analysis of 2019 Emergency Department Data Collection registry data for state-wide emergency presentations to NSW public hospitals among NSW residents aged 10-24 years was undertaken. Local government areas of residence were classified as major city, coastal regional, inland regional or remote. Sex and age-adjusted ED presentation rates were modelled according to geographical classification, using negative binomial regression. RESULTS: In 2019, 178 public ED facilities in NSW received 479 880 presentations from NSW residents aged 10-24 years. ED presentation rates in regional and remote areas were more than twice (incidence rate ratio 2.23, 95% confidence interval 2.08-2.39) and four times (incidence rate ratio 4.32, 95% confidence interval 3.84-4.87) that, respectively, of major cities. Compared to major cities, youth presenting to regional and remote facilities spent 36% and 60% less time in ED, respectively, with presentations less likely to be deemed critical, occur after-hours or result in hospital admission. Variation between inland and coastal regional indicators was minimal. CONCLUSIONS: Patterns of ED utilisation between major city, regional and remote youth were distinctly different, but not so between coastal and inland regional youth. Further research could better understand ED utilisation among youth and the drivers of higher presentation rates in regional and remote areas.

Changes to radiotherapy utilisation in Western NSW after the opening of a local service.

INTRODUCTION: In 2011, the first radiotherapy centre in Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) was opened in the city of Orange. Prior to this, patients travelled outside the health service, primarily to Sydney, to receive treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate if the establishment of the new rural radiotherapy service has changed the demographic profile, cancer type, treatment intent and number of patients treated. METHODS: Data were collected on WNSWLHD patients, 17 years of age and above, who received radiotherapy in either 2010 or 2012 in New South Wales (NSW) or Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The age, gender, treatment intent, cancer type and residential town were recorded. RESULTS: The number of patients who accessed radiation increased from 573 to 667 between 2010 and 2012. The corresponding radiotherapy utilisation (RTU) rates were 29.3% in 2010 and 33.4% in 2012, an improvement of 4.1% (P = 0.01, 95% CI 1-7%). Patients travelled 128.5 km less for treatment in 2012 than in 2010 (338.7 km vs. 210.2 km, CI 111-145.5 km, P > 0.0001). All regions had an improvement in the RTU rates apart from the Remote region which decreased by 9% (31-20% in 2012). The number of palliative treatments increased significantly only within the Orange region. The number of male patients for treatments also significantly increased as there were 81 additional treatments (292 vs. 373) as did patients with a respiratory cancer (66 vs. 97). CONCLUSIONS: A new radiotherapy service in a sparsely populated health district significantly changed the pattern of radiotherapy use for those who lived only in the Orange region. Treatment capacity at the Orange radiotherapy centre has doubled with the opening of a second linear accelerator since this study was conducted. Thus, a follow-up study is recommended to ascertain if radiotherapy rates remain low in the regions beyond Orange.

Physical health care in medium secure services.

BACKGROUND: The physical healthcare needs of patients in medium secure units (MSUs) are often overlooked. The authors of this article audited patients in one forensic MSU to establish the extent of the problem and patients' desire to lead a healthy lifestyle. CONCLUSION: Fifty six patients were questioned using semi-structured interviews. The number of patients who smoke was found to be disproportionately high (84 per cent) compared to the general UK population (27 per cent). The authors also found a correlation between length of stay on the unit and increase in body mass index. The authors describe measures taken to promote the physical wellbeing of patients in the unit.