Mental Health Care for Rural and Remote Australians During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic.

The aims of this article are to comment on pre-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mental health activity in rural and remote Australia, including related air medical retrievals; to discuss how the current pandemic is likely to impact on this vulnerable population's mental health; and to provide potential solutions. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant air medical activity from rural and remote Australia. COVID-19 and the necessary public health and socioeconomic interventions are likely to significantly compound mental health problems for both the general public and the mental health workforce servicing rural and remote communities.

Mental Health Crises in Rural and Remote Australia: An Assessment of Direct Medical Costs of Air Medical Retrievals and the Implications for the Societal Burden.

Objective: Adequate mental health service provision in rural and remote Australian communities is problematic because of the tyranny of distance. The Royal Flying Doctor Service provides air medical retrieval for people in rural and remote areas. The economic impact on both the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the public hospital system for mental health-related air medical retrievals is unknown.

Aeromedical Retrieval for Stroke in Australia.

Introduction: Rural, remote, and Indigenous stroke patients have worse stroke outcomes than urban Australians. This may be due to lack of timely access to expert facilities.

Objectives: We aimed to describe the characteristics of patients who underwent aeromedical retrieval for stroke, estimate transfer times, and investigate if flight paths corresponded with the locations of stroke units (SUs) throughout Australia.

Rural and remote dental care: Patient characteristics and health care provision.

Objective: To describe the characteristics of patients who used the Royal Flying Doctor Service dental clinics and determine Royal Flying Doctor Service and non-Royal Flying Doctor Service dental service provision in mainland Australia.

Design: A prospective cohort study.

Setting: All Royal Flying Doctor Service dental clinics located throughout rural and remote Australia.

Aeromedical retrievals for gastrointestinal disorders in rural and remote Australia: the need for improved access to specialist advice.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) provides medical care to populations without access to traditional health-care services. From 2014 to 2018 the RFDS conducted 6007 (≈1201/year) aeromedical retrievals for gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. More detailed research is needed to determine specific GI disorders that contributed to this caseload, and in particular inform whether the establishment of a GI specialist service is justified.

Royal Flying Doctor Service Coronavirus Disease 2019 Activity and Surge Modeling in Australia.

Objective: There is a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We aimed to describe the characteristics of patients transported by the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) for confirmed or suspected COVID-19 and to investigate the surge capacity of and operational implications for the RFDS in dealing with COVID-19.

Methods: This was a prospective cohort study.

Aeromedical retrieval for suspected appendicitis in rural and remote paediatric patients.

Introduction: The aim of this paper was to describe the characteristics of paediatric patients who underwent an aeromedical retrieval within Australia (gender and Indigenous status) for suspected appendicitis between 1 July 2014 and 30 June 2018 (4 years). By understanding these trends, we hope to further justify the need for point-of-care ultrasound training for clinicians working in rural and remote Australia.

Method: Participants included Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) patients aged 0-18 years (inclusive) who underwent an aeromedical retrieval for suspected appendicitis within Australia.

Poor access to kidney disease management services in susceptible patient populations in rural Australia is associated with increased aeromedical retrievals for acute renal care.

Background: Inequalities in access to renal services and acute care for rural and remote populations in Australia have been described but not quantified.

Aim: To describe: the coverage of renal disease management services in rural and remote Australia; and the characteristics of patients who had an aeromedical retrieval for renal disease by Australia's Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS).

Methods: Data from the RFDS, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and Health Direct were used to estimate provision of renal disease management services by geographic area.

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

Objectives: To characterise the people retrieved by the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) for treatment of mental and behavioural disorders, and to assess mental health care provision in rural and remote areas.

Design: Prospective review of routinely collected RFDS and Health Direct data.

Setting, Participants: RFDS aeromedical retrievals of patients from anywhere in Australia except Tasmania during 1 July 2014 - 30 June 2017 for the treatment of mental or behavioural disorders.

A nurse-led structured education program improves self-management skills and reduces hospital readmissions in patients with chronic heart failure: a randomized and controlled trial in China.

Introduction: Patient self-management skills are an important part of heart failure (HF) management. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the effectiveness of nurse-led education on patient self-management and the associated clinical outcomes of rural Chinese patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). As such, this study was designed to evaluate the impact of a nurse-led education program on patient self-management and hospital readmissions in rural Chinese patients with CHF.

Nurse Home Visiting for Families Experiencing Adversity: A Randomized Trial.

Objectives: Nurse home visiting (NHV) may redress inequities in children's health and development evident by school entry. We tested the effectiveness of an Australian NHV program (right@home), offered to pregnant women experiencing adversity, hypothesizing improvements in (1) parent care, (2) responsivity, and (3) the home learning environment at child age 2 years.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial of NHV delivered via universal child and family health services was conducted.

A brief survey to identify pregnant women experiencing increased psychosocial and socioeconomic risk.

Problem: Identifying pregnant women whose children are at risk of poorer development in a rapid, acceptable and feasible way.

Background: A range of antenatal psychosocial and socioeconomic risk factors adversely impact children's health, behaviour and cognition.

Aim: Investigate whether a brief, waiting room survey of risk factors identifies women experiencing increased antenatal psychosocial and socioeconomic risk when asked in a private, in-home interview.

The feasibility and acceptability of a population-level antenatal risk factor survey: Cross-sectional pilot study.

Aim: Australian data on the prevalence and distribution of antenatal risk factors are scarce. This study aimed to investigate (i) the feasibility and acceptability of an antenatal risk factor survey collected in public settings and (ii) whether the survey risk factors co-occur with more sensitive risk factors that are privately asked by clinicians.

Methods: Design and setting: study-designed survey linked with clinician-collected risk factors.

'right@home': a randomised controlled trial of sustained nurse home visiting from pregnancy to child age 2 years, versus usual care, to improve parent care, parent responsivity and the home learning environment at 2 years.

Introduction: By the time children start school, inequities in learning, development and health outcomes are already evident. Sustained nurse home visiting (SNHV) offers a potential platform for families experiencing adversity, who often have limited access to services. While SNHV programmes have been growing in popularity in Australia and internationally, it is not known whether they can improve children's learning and development when offered via the Australian service system.