Older peoples' experiences of living in a residential aged care facility in Australia.

Aim: The objectives of the study were to investigate the lived experience of older people in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) in Australia, to explore their perceptions of their lives in RACFs and how care might be improved.

Methods: This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to explore the lived experience of older persons in RACFs across two Australian states. In-depth interviews regarding independence, dignity, autonomy, communication and relationships were conducted with 18 participants.

How health professionals conceive and construct interprofessional practice in rural settings: a qualitative study.

Background: Although interprofessional practice (IPP) offers the potential to enhance rural health services and provide support to rural clinicians, IPP may itself be problematic due to workforce limitations and service fragmentation. Differing socioeconomic and geographic characteristics of rural communities means that the way that IPP occurs in rural contexts will necessarily differ from that occurring in metropolitan contexts. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors contributing to effective IPP in rural contexts, to examine how IPP happens and to identify barriers and enablers.

Effective interprofessional collaboration in rural contexts: a research protocol.

Aim: To describe the research protocol that will be used to investigate factors contributing to effective interprofessional practice in a rural context in Australia.

Background: Interprofessional practice is a key strategy for overcoming rural health challenges; however, our knowledge of interprofessional initiatives and consequences in rural areas is limited.

Design: A modified realistic evaluation approach will be used to explore the structures, systems, and social processes contributing to effective interprofessional outcomes.

The working world of nursing unit managers: responsibility without power.

This paper seeks to explore the responsibility and power of the role of nursing unit managers (NUMs) in rural New South Wales using Kanter's theory of organisational power as a framework. Using in-depth individual interviews with twenty NUMs, data were analysed from four perspectives to gain a deep understanding of the NUMs' working world. The findings show that the NUMs' role is substantive, encompassing both clinical and managerial functions.