Barriers and facilitators to women's access to sexual and reproductive health services in rural Australia: a systematic review.
Access
Barriers and facilitators
Delivery of healthcare
Health equity
Health service
Rural health
Sexual and reproductive health
Systematic review
Women’s health
Journal
BMC health services research
ISSN: 1472-6963
Titre abrégé: BMC Health Serv Res
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101088677
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
11 Oct 2024
11 Oct 2024
Historique:
received:
19
06
2024
accepted:
04
10
2024
medline:
12
10
2024
pubmed:
12
10
2024
entrez:
11
10
2024
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
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. 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. 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. 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.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
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
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
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
CONCLUSIONS
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.
Identifiants
pubmed: 39394094
doi: 10.1186/s12913-024-11710-9
pii: 10.1186/s12913-024-11710-9
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Systematic Review
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
1221Informations de copyright
© 2024. The Author(s).
Références
Wood SM, Alston L, Beks H, Mc Namara K, Coffee NT, Clark RA, et al. The application of spatial measures to analyse health service accessibility in Australia: a systematic review and recommendations for future practice. BMC Health Serv Res. 2023;23(1):330.
pubmed: 37005659
pmcid: 10066971
doi: 10.1186/s12913-023-09342-6
Baum F, Friel S. Politics, policies and processes: a multidisciplinary and multimethods research programme on policies on the social determinants of health inequity in Australia. BMJ Open. 2017;7(12):e017772.
pubmed: 29273655
pmcid: 5778301
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017772
Bateson DJ, Black KI, Sawleshwarkar S. The Guttmacher–Lancet Commission on sexual and reproductive health and rights: how does Australia measure up? Med J Aust. 2019;210(6). https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2019/210/6/guttmacher-lancet-commission-sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-rights-how-does . Cited 2023 Oct 17.
Jakab Z, Reproductive Health (SRH). The Life-Course Approach in Sexual and. The European Magazine for Sexual and Reproductive Health. 2015;82. https://eeca.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/Entre-Nous-82.pdf . Cited 2023 Nov 10.
United Nations Population Fund. Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population Development: Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Health. In Cairo; 1994.
Guttmacher Institute. Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Indicators for the SDGs. 2015. https://www.guttmacher.org/report/sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-rights-indicators-sdgs . Cited 2024 May 23.
Starrs AM, Ezeh AC, Barker G, Basu A, Bertrand JT, Blum R, et al. Accelerate progress—sexual and reproductive health and rights for all: report of the Guttmacher–Lancet Commission. Lancet. 2018;391(10140):2642–92.
pubmed: 29753597
doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30293-9
Stenberg K, Axelson H, Sheehan P, Anderson I, Gülmezoglu AM, Temmerman M, et al. Advancing social and economic development by investing in women’s and children’s health: a new Global Investment Framework. Lancet. 2014;383(9925):1333–54.
pubmed: 24263249
doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)62231-X
Versace VL, Coffee NT, Franzon J, Turner D, Lange J, Taylor D, et al. Comparison of general and cardiac care-specific indices of spatial access in Australia. PLoS ONE. 2019;14(7):e0219959.
pubmed: 31344082
pmcid: 6657861
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219959
Penchansky R, Thomas JW. The Concept of Access: definition and relationship to consumer satisfaction. Med Care. 1981;19(2):127–40.
pubmed: 7206846
doi: 10.1097/00005650-198102000-00001
Cu A, Meister S, Lefebvre B, Ridde V. Assessing healthcare access using the Levesque’s conceptual framework– a scoping review. Int J Equity Health. 2021;20(1):116.
pubmed: 33962627
pmcid: 8103766
doi: 10.1186/s12939-021-01416-3
Levesque JF, Harris MF, Russell G. Patient-centred access to health care: conceptualising access at the interface of health systems and populations. Int J Equity Health. 2013;12:18.
pubmed: 23496984
pmcid: 3610159
doi: 10.1186/1475-9276-12-18
Sharma E, Tseng PC, Harden A, Li L, Puthussery S. Ethnic minority women’s experiences of accessing antenatal care in high income European countries: a systematic review. BMC Health Serv Res. 2023;23(1):612.
pubmed: 37301860
pmcid: 10256965
doi: 10.1186/s12913-023-09536-y
Miteniece E, Pavlova M, Shengelia L, Rechel B, Groot W. Barriers to accessing adequate maternal care in Georgia: a qualitative study. BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):631.
pubmed: 30103763
pmcid: 6090778
doi: 10.1186/s12913-018-3432-z
Ireland S, Belton S, Doran F. I didn’t feel judged’: exploring women’s access to telemedicine abortion in rural Australia. J Prim Health Care. 2020;12(1):49–56.
pubmed: 32223850
doi: 10.1071/HC19050
Newton-Levinson A, Griffin K, Blake SC, Swartzendruber A, Kramer M, Sales JM. I probably have access, but I can’t afford it: expanding definitions of affordability in access to contraceptive services among people with low income in Georgia, USA. BMC Health Serv Res. 2024;24(1):709.
pubmed: 38849826
pmcid: 11157915
doi: 10.1186/s12913-024-11133-6
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Rural and remote health. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. 2024. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/rural-remote-australians/rural-and-remote-health . Cited 2024 Aug 28.
Government of Canada SC. Does geography matter in mortality? An analysis of potentially avoidable mortality by remoteness index in Canada. 2019. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-003-x/2019005/article/00001-eng.htm . Cited 2022 Aug 11].
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Rural and remote health. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. 2022. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/rural-remote-australians/rural-and-remote-health . Cited 2022 Jul 25.
Markham F, Doran B. Equity, discrimination and remote policy: investigating the centralization of remote service delivery in the Northern Territory. Appl Geogr. 2015;58:105–15.
doi: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2015.01.020
Doran F, Hornibrook J. Rural New South Wales women’s access to abortion services: highlights from an exploratory qualitative study. Aust J Rural Health. 2014;22(3):121–6.
pubmed: 25039846
doi: 10.1111/ajr.12096
Gonzalez-Chica D, Gillam M, Williams S, Sharma P, Leach M, Jones M, et al. Pregnancy-related aeromedical retrievals in rural and remote Australia: national evidence from the Royal Flying Doctor Service. BMC Health Serv Res. 2021;21(1):390.
pubmed: 33902590
pmcid: 8077896
doi: 10.1186/s12913-021-06404-5
Rolfe MI, Donoghue DA, Longman JM, Pilcher J, Kildea S, Kruske S, et al. The distribution of maternity services across rural and remote Australia: does it reflect population need? BMC Health Serv Res. 2017;17(1):163.
pubmed: 28231830
pmcid: 5324256
doi: 10.1186/s12913-017-2084-8
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Australia’s mothers and babies: Maternal deaths. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. 2023. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/mothers-babies/maternal-deaths-australia . Cited 2024 Aug 20.
Gray E, Evans A. Geographic variation in parity progression in Australia. Popul Space Place. 2018;24(2):e2080.
doi: 10.1002/psp.2080
Nickson C, Smith AMA, Shelley JM. Travel undertaken by women accessing private victorian pregnancy termination services. Aust N Z J Public Health. 2006;30(4):329–33.
pubmed: 16956161
doi: 10.1111/j.1467-842X.2006.tb00844.x
Johnston K, Harvey C, Matich P, Page P, Jukka C, Hollins J, et al. Increasing access to sexual health care for rural and regional young people: similarities and differences in the views of young people and service providers. Aust J Rural Health. 2015;23(5):257–64.
pubmed: 25809380
doi: 10.1111/ajr.12186
Dawson A, Bateson D, Estoesta J, Sullivan E. Towards comprehensive early abortion service delivery in high income countries: insights for improving universal access to abortion in Australia. BMC Health Serv Res. 2016;16(1):612.
pubmed: 27770797
pmcid: 5075393
doi: 10.1186/s12913-016-1846-z
Page MJ, McKenzie JE, Bossuyt PM, Boutron I, Hoffmann TC, Mulrow CD, et al. The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ. 2021;372:n71.
pubmed: 33782057
pmcid: 8005924
doi: 10.1136/bmj.n71
Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. National Women’s Health Strategy 2020–2030. Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care; 2023. https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/national-womens-health-strategy-2020-2030?language=en . Cited 2024 Mar 21.
Australian Department of Health. Modified Monash Model. Australian Government Department of Health. Australian Government Department of Health; 2019. https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/rural-health-workforce/classifications/mmm . Cited 2022 Feb 1.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 3. Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). 2021. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/standards/australian-statistical-geography-standard-asgs-edition-3/latest-release . Cited 2022 Feb 1.
World Health Organization. Sexual and reproductive health and rights. 2024. https://www.who.int/health-topics/sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-rights . Cited 2024 Aug 21.
Baird B. Medical abortion in Australia: a short history. Reprod Health Matters. 2015;23(46):169–76.
pubmed: 26719008
doi: 10.1016/j.rhm.2015.10.002
Health system overview. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/health-system-overview . Cited 2022 Aug 4.
Joanna Briggs Institute. Critical Appraisal Tools. https://jbi.global/critical-appraisal-tools . Cited 2023 Feb 1.
Carroll C, Booth A, Cooper K. A worked example of ‘best fit’ framework synthesis: a systematic review of views concerning the taking of some potential chemopreventive agents. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2011;11(1):29.
pubmed: 21410933
pmcid: 3068987
doi: 10.1186/1471-2288-11-29
Russell K, Manias E, Nicholson P. What influences rural women’s choices in maternity care: a qualitative exploratory study. Nurs Health Sci. 2021;23(4):825–33.
pubmed: 34245099
doi: 10.1111/nhs.12867
Doran FM, Hornibrook J. Barriers around access to abortion experienced by rural women in New South Wales, Australia. Rural Remote Health. 2016;16(1):3538.
pubmed: 26987999
Hoang H, Le Q, Terry D. Women’s access needs in maternity care in rural Tasmania, Australia: a mixed methods study. Women Birth: J Australian Coll Midwives. 2014;27(1):9–14.
doi: 10.1016/j.wombi.2013.02.001
Dawson AJ, Nicolls R, Bateson D, Doab A, Estoesta J, Brassil A et al. Medical termination of pregnancy in general practice in Australia: a descriptive-interpretive qualitative study. Reproductive Health. 2017;14(1):1–13.
Keogh L, Croy S, Newton D, Hendron M, Hill S. General practitioner knowledge and practice in relation to unintended pregnancy in the grampians region of Victoria, Australia. Rural Remote Health. 2019;19(4):5156.
pubmed: 31675244
de Moel-Mandel C, Graham M, Taket A. Expert consensus on a nurse-led model of medication abortion provision in regional and rural Victoria, Australia: a Delphi study. Contraception. 2019;100(5):380–5.
pubmed: 31302120
doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2019.07.004
Subasinghe AK, McGeechan K, Moulton JE, Grzeskowiak LE, Mazza D. Early medical abortion services provided in Australian primary care. Med J Australia. 2021;215(8):366–70.
pubmed: 34553385
doi: 10.5694/mja2.51275
Noonan A, Black KI, Luscombe GM, Tomnay J. Almost like it was really underground’: a qualitative study of women’s experiences locating services for unintended pregnancy in a rural Australian health system. Sex Reproductive Health Matters. 2023;31(1):2213899.
doi: 10.1080/26410397.2023.2213899
Shackleton E, Fisher C, Bosco A, Slack-Smith L. We country women need advocacy’: birthing narratives from the western Australian Wheatbelt region. Aust J Rural Health. 2023;31(5):886–96.
pubmed: 37368437
doi: 10.1111/ajr.13013
Zadoroznyj M, Brodribb W, Falconer L, Pearce L, Northam C, Kruske S. A qualitative study of pharmacy nurse providers of community based post-birth care in Queensland, Australia. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2013;13:144.
pubmed: 23837569
pmcid: 3710467
doi: 10.1186/1471-2393-13-144
Cashman C, Downing SG, Russell D. Women’s experiences of accessing a medical termination of pregnancy through a Queensland regional sexual health service: a qualitative study. Sex Health. 2021;18(3):232–8.
pubmed: 33985645
doi: 10.1071/SH20220
Gosbell E, Panambalana A, Stephenson A, Vici C, Dutton T, Bailey J. Awareness and attitudes towards the revised National Cervical Screening Program amongst women in rural New South Wales: a cross-sectional study. Aust J Prim Health. 2023;29(5):471–9.
pubmed: 37037661
doi: 10.1071/PY22267
Wagg E, Hocking J, Tomnay J. What do young women living in regional and rural Victoria say about chlamydia testing? A qualitative study. Sex Health. 2020;17(2):160–6.
pubmed: 32183939
doi: 10.1071/SH19182
Christie V, Green D, Skinner J, Riley L, O’Shea R, Littlejohn K, et al. Everyone needs a Deb’: what Australian indigenous women say about breast cancer screening and treatment services. BMC Health Serv Res. 2023;23(1):1–8.
doi: 10.1186/s12913-023-09633-y
Hulme-Chambers A, Temple-Smith M, Davidson A, Coelli L, Orr C, Tomnay JE. Australian women’s experiences of a rural medical termination of pregnancy service: a qualitative study. Sex Reproductive Healthcare: Official J Swed Association Midwives. 2018;15:23–7.
doi: 10.1016/j.srhc.2017.11.008
Josif CM, Barclay L, Kruske S, Kildea S. No more strangers’: investigating the experiences of women, midwives and others during the establishment of a new model of maternity care for remote dwelling aboriginal women in northern Australia. Midwifery. 2014;30(3):317–23.
pubmed: 23676699
doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2013.03.012
Lansbury N, King M. Lived experiences of menstrual health for indigenous girls in a remote Australian town. Health Care Women Int. 2023;44(5):639–56.
pubmed: 34586947
doi: 10.1080/07399332.2021.1967955
Makleff S, Belfrage M, Wickramasinghe S, Fisher J, Bateson D, Black KI. Typologies of interactions between abortion seekers and healthcare workers in Australia: a qualitative study exploring the impact of stigma on quality of care. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2023;23(1):646.
pubmed: 37679674
pmcid: 10486119
doi: 10.1186/s12884-023-05902-0
Sivertsen N, Abigail W, Tieu M, Eastman M, McCloud C, Thomson W, et al. What women want: women’s health in Rural and Regional Australia - insights from an interprofessional research collaboration between academic researchers, nursing clinicians, and industry professionals. Health Soc Care Commun. 2022;30(5):e2236–44.
doi: 10.1111/hsc.13661
Bar-Zeev S, Barclay L, Kruske S, Kildea S. Factors affecting the quality of antenatal care provided to remote dwelling Aboriginal women in northern Australia. Midwifery. 2014;30(3):289–96.
pubmed: 23809580
doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2013.04.009
Rumbold AR, Wild KJ, Maypilama EL, Kildea SV, Barclay L, Wallace EM, et al. Challenges to providing fetal anomaly testing in a cross-cultural environment: experiences of practitioners caring for Aboriginal Women. Birth (Berkeley Calif). 2015;42(4):362–8.
pubmed: 26256095
doi: 10.1111/birt.12182
Kruss J, Gridley H. Country women are resilient but. … Family planning access in rural Victoria. Aust J Rural Health. 2014;22(6):300–5.
pubmed: 25495623
doi: 10.1111/ajr.12138
Hulme-Chambers A, Clune S, Tomnay J. Medical termination of pregnancy service delivery in the context of decentralization: social and structural influences. Int J Equity Health. 2018;17:172.
pubmed: 30463561
pmcid: 6249871
doi: 10.1186/s12939-018-0888-8
Seear KH, Spry EP, Carlin E, Atkinson DN, Marley JV. Aboriginal women’s experiences of strengths and challenges of antenatal care in the Kimberley: a qualitative study. Women Birth: J Australian Coll Midwives. 2021;34(6):570–7.
doi: 10.1016/j.wombi.2020.12.009
Gudka S, Bourdin A, Watkins K, Eshghabadi A, Everett A, Clifford RM. Self-reported risk factors for chlamydia: a survey of pharmacy-based emergency contraception consumers. Int J Pharm Pract. 2014;22(1):13–9.
pubmed: 23711359
doi: 10.1111/ijpp.12042
Brown AE, Fereday JA, Middleton PF, Pincombe JI. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women’s experiences accessing standard hospital care for birth in South Australia – A phenomenological study. Women Birth. 2016;29(4):350–8.
pubmed: 26852080
doi: 10.1016/j.wombi.2016.01.004
Grant R, Nash M. Young bisexual women’s sexual health care experiences in Australian rural general practice. Aust J Rural Health. 2019;27(3):224–8.
pubmed: 30942504
doi: 10.1111/ajr.12505
Dutton T, Marjoram J, Burgess S, Montgomery L, Vail A, Callan N, et al. Uptake and acceptability of human papillomavirus self-sampling in rural and remote aboriginal communities: evaluation of a nurse-led community engagement model. BMC Health Serv Res. 2020;20(1):398.
pubmed: 32393243
pmcid: 7212679
doi: 10.1186/s12913-020-05214-5
Hoang H, Le Q. Comprehensive picture of rural women’s needs in maternity care in Tasmania, Australia. Aust J Rural Health. 2013;21(4):197–202.
pubmed: 24033519
doi: 10.1111/ajr.12043
Wong Shee A, Frawley N, Robertson C, McKenzie A, Lodge J, Versace V et al. Accessing and engaging with antenatal care: an interview study of teenage women. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2021;21(693):1-8.
Doig M, Bidner A, Dizon J, Guerrero K, Bezak E, Parange N. Availability and use of antenatal point-of‐care ultrasound services within rural South Australian health care. Aust J Rural Health. 2022;30(2):281–5.
pubmed: 34797604
doi: 10.1111/ajr.12811
Hennegan J, Kruske S, Redshaw M. Remote access and care: a comparison of Queensland women’s maternity care experience according to area of residence. Women Birth. 2014;27(4):281–91.
pubmed: 25070731
doi: 10.1016/j.wombi.2014.06.012
Noonan A, Black KI, Luscombe GM, Tomnay J. What women want from local primary care services for unintended pregnancy in rural Australia: a qualitative study from rural New South Wales. AUST J PRIM HEALTH. 2023;29(3):244–51.
pubmed: 36283421
doi: 10.1071/PY22134
Roxburgh C, Moore S, McCulloch C, Valli K, Zuidersma D, Pikora T, et al. Satisfaction with general practitioner obstetrician-led maternity care in rural Western Australia. AUST J RURAL HEALTH. 2022;30(2):135–48.
pubmed: 34514661
doi: 10.1111/ajr.12783
Kruske S, Kildea S, Jenkinson B, Pilcher J, Robin S, Rolfe M. Primary maternity units in rural and remote Australia: results of a national survey. Midwifery. 2016;40:1–9.
pubmed: 27428092
doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2016.05.004
Munns A. Community midwifery: a primary health care approach to care during pregnancy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. Aust J Prim Health. 2021;27(1):57–61.
pubmed: 33502971
doi: 10.1071/PY20105
Sweet LP, Boon VA, Brinkworth V, Sutton S, Werner AF. Birthing in rural South Australia: the changing landscape over 20 years. Aust J Rural Health. 2015;23(6):332–8.
pubmed: 26683715
doi: 10.1111/ajr.12214
Telford M, Harding C, Stewart I, McGirr J, Seal A. Giving birth in the Murrumbidgee region: a quantitative and qualitative approach to general practice obstetrics in a rural region. Aust J Rural Health. 2022;30(4):512–9.
pubmed: 35384121
pmcid: 9544910
doi: 10.1111/ajr.12867
Arnold JL, Anderson E, Roeder L. Rural patients highly satisfied with gynaecological oncology care via telehealth. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2021;62(2):280–5.
pubmed: 34713445
doi: 10.1111/ajo.13452
Sassano A, Mayes C, Kerridge I, Lipworth W. Going the Distance: Ethics of Space and Location on Accessing Reproductive services in Australia. J Bioethical Inq. 2023;20(2):225–35.
doi: 10.1007/s11673-023-10240-z
Kabeer N, Resources. Agency, achievements: reflections on the measurement of women’s empowerment. Dev Change. 1999;30(3):435–64.
doi: 10.1111/1467-7660.00125
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. A conceptual model of women and girls’ empowerment. https://docs.gatesfoundation.org/Documents/BMGF_EmpowermentModel.pdf .
Vizheh M, Zurynski Y, Braithwaite J, Rapport F. Determinants of women’s agency in accessing and utilising reproductive healthcare services; a systematic review. Cult Health Sex. 2024;26(2):248–64.
pubmed: 37078806
doi: 10.1080/13691058.2023.2200814
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Health literacy. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. 2022. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/health-literacy . Cited 2024 Apr 5.
Dong K, Gagliardi AR. Person-centered care for diverse women: narrative review of foundational research. Womens Health (Lond). 2023;19:17455057231192317.
pubmed: 37596928
doi: 10.1177/17455057231192317
Gagliardi AR, Dunn S, Foster AM, Grace SL, Khanlou N, Stewart DE, et al. Is patient-centred care for women a priority for policy-makers? Content analysis of government policies. Health Res Policy Syst. 2020;18(1):23.
pubmed: 32070365
pmcid: 7029558
doi: 10.1186/s12961-020-0533-z
Wong Shee A, Donaldson A, Clapham RP, Aitken JC, Ananthapavan J, Ugalde A, et al. Identifying health and healthcare priorities in rural areas: a concept mapping study informed by consumers, health professionals and researchers. Health Res Policy Sys. 2024;22(1):105.
doi: 10.1186/s12961-024-01163-1
Moulton JE, Mazza D, Tomnay J, Bateson D, Norman WV, Black KI, et al. Co-design of a nurse-led model of care to increase access to medical abortion and contraception in rural and regional general practice: a protocol. Aust J Rural Health. 2022;30(6):876–83.
pubmed: 36264024
pmcid: 10946737
doi: 10.1111/ajr.12937
Sorhaindo AM, Lavelanet AF. Why does abortion stigma matter? A scoping review and hybrid analysis of qualitative evidence illustrating the role of stigma in the quality of abortion care. Soc Sci Med. 2022;311:115271.
pubmed: 36152401
pmcid: 9577010
doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115271
Cockrill K, Herold S, Upadhyay U, Baum S, Blanchard K, Grossman D. Addressing Abortion Stigma Through Service Delivery: a white paper. Sea Change Program, Ibis Reproductive Health, ANSIRH, or INROADS; 2013. Available from: https://www.ibisreproductivehealth.org/publications/addressing-abortion-stigma-through-service-delivery-white-paper .
National Rural Health Alliance. Patient Assisted Travel Schemes: Fact Sheet. 2023. https://www.ruralhealth.org.au/sites/default/files/publications/pats-fact-sheet-and-guide-2023.pdf .
Malatzky C, Hulme A. I love my job… it’s more the systems that we work in’: the challenges encountered by rural sexual and reproductive health practitioners and implications for access to care. Cult Health Sex. 2022;24(6):735–49.
pubmed: 33541254
doi: 10.1080/13691058.2021.1880640
de Moel-Mandel C, Graham M, Taket A. Snapshot of medication abortion provision in the primary health care setting of regional and rural Victoria. Aust J Rural Health. 2019;27(3):237–44.
pubmed: 31070843
doi: 10.1111/ajr.12510
Versace VL, Skinner TC, Bourke L, Harvey P, Barnett T. National analysis of the modified Monash Model, population distribution and a socio-economic index to inform rural health workforce planning. Aust J Rural Health. 2021;29(5):801–10.
pubmed: 34672057
doi: 10.1111/ajr.12805
Flavel J, Kedzior SG, Isaac V, Cameron D, Baum F. Regional health inequalities in Australia and social determinants of health: analysis of trends and distribution by remoteness. 2024;24(1). https://www.rrh.org.au/journal/article/7726/ . Cited 2024 Apr 11.
Duckett S, Stobart A, Lin L. Not so universal: How to reduce out-of-pocket healthcare payments. 2022. https://grattan.edu.au/report/not-so-universal-how-to-reduce-out-of-pocket-healthcare-payments/ . Cited 2024 Mar 21.
Lorch R, Hocking J, Guy R, Vaisey A, Wood A, Lewis D, et al. Practice nurse chlamydia testing in Australian general practice: a qualitative study of benefits, barriers and facilitators. BMC Fam Pract. 2015;16:36.
pubmed: 25880077
pmcid: 4371842
doi: 10.1186/s12875-015-0251-8
Sully EA, Biddlecom A, Darroch JE, Riley T, Ashford LS, Lince-Deroche N et al. Adding It Up: Investing in Sexual and Reproductive Health 2019. 2020; https://www.guttmacher.org/report/adding-it-up-investing-in-sexual-reproductive-health-2019 . Cited 2024 Apr 16.
United Nations. Sustainable Development Goals. https://sdgs.un.org/goals . Cited 2024 Apr 16.
Versace VL, Beks H, Charles J. Towards consistent geographic reporting of Australian health research. Med J Aust. 2021;215(11):525–525.
pubmed: 34773925
doi: 10.5694/mja2.51344
Beks H, Walsh S, Alston L, Jones M, Smith T, Maybery D, et al. Approaches used to describe, measure, and analyze place of practice in Dentistry, Medical, nursing, and Allied Health Rural Graduate Workforce Research in Australia: a systematic scoping review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(3):1438.
pubmed: 35162455
pmcid: 8834932
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19031438
Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training (RHMT) program [Internet]. Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care; 2024. https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/rhmt . Cited 2024 Apr 8.