Background: Supporting the provision of clinical placement (CP) experiences in rural areas is a strategy used worldwide to promote the rural health workforce. While there is international evidence for this intervention in medicine, there is limited understanding of the influence of rural CP for nursing, midwifery, allied health, and dentistry health professions in Australia, which have received substantial federal investment. This review examined the relationship between rural CP and non-medicine health students’ future rural practice intentions and workforce outcomes. Methods: Four databases were systematically searched; papers were screened using defined criteria and appraised using the mixed-methods appraisal tool (MMAT). Findings were synthesized using a critical narrative approach. Results: The methodological quality of the 29 eligible studies (13 quantitative non-randomized, 10 mixed method, 4 qualitative, 2 quantitative description) was appraised. Ten high-quality studies were identified. The review found that positive CP experiences may influence intention to practice rurally amongst undecided students and serve as a reinforcing experience for those students already interested in rural practice. There were mixed findings regarding the influence of CP length. The review also found that there is currently only evidence for the short-term effects of CP on students’ future practice outcomes in rural areas with focus thus far on early practice outcomes. Conclusions: Those looking to use rural CP to promote the rural health workforce should focus on supporting the quality of a large number of CP experiences that are undertaken in rural areas, as there are currently differing findings on the role of rural CP length. Future studies of rural CP should consider greater use of social and educational theories to guide them.

The rise in the network society might lead to a decline in face-to-face contact as people substitute it with more mediated forms, or an increase in both face-to-face and mediated contact as complements, with unknown consequences for social support. This article examines trends in social contact, mediated contact (phone, online, etc.), and social support in 2002, 2006 and 2010, using aggregated ABS General Social Survey data. Results show an aggregate decline in face-to-face contact and rise in mediated contact in Australia between 2002 and 2010, but no aggregate decline in perceived social support, and a strong positive individual-level association between both forms of contact and social support. There are, however, signs of an emerging class-based digital divide, with low-income older men and less educated respondents reporting lower levels of mediated contact and social support by 2010.

Purpose: There are growing expectations that students graduating from health courses and current health professionals have some proficiency in using telehealth. However, there is limited accessibility to multidisciplinary-based material to meet this need. This paper describes the development of an online telehealth education resource using a co-design approach and the strengths and challenges of embedding authentic learning principles in an open-access online course with a broad target audience.Design/methodology/approach: The authors first describe the co-design process of the course and discuss the pedagogy underpinning the course design. Then learner enrolment data is discussed to evidence uptake across key characteristics. Finally, the authors assess the efficacy of the co-design approach by analysing feedback collected from learners at the end of the course.Findings: The course is structured across four modules and comprises interactive content, reflective tasks, case studies and purposefully developed digital material. Responses from the working group and from learner feedback indicate that the course is an authentic and relevant introduction to telehealth practice for both health students and current health professionals, despite some limitations.Originality/value: This case study demonstrates the value of a co-design process and key learning design choices in online course development to meet the educational needs of learners from broad disciplinary backgrounds, in various stages of learning/understanding of telehealth and/or requiring a practice-based resource in the context of a rapidly changing policy environment.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a rapid adoption of telehealth care services as a public health strategy to maintain access to essential health care. In Australia, there has been increasing optimism for the expansion of telehealth services. However, little is known about the patterns and determinants of telehealth adoption among older adults, with concerns that an expansion of telehealth services may only be of benefit to those who already have better access to health care. Objective: Leveraging data collected by The Sax Institute’s 45 and Up COVID Insights study between November 2020 and April 2022, the objective of this study was to identify and describe the sociodemographic and health-related determinants of telehealth adoption and use among a cohort of older Australians. We hypothesized that health-related factors would be key determinants of telehealth adoption for Australians aged ≥65 years during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A repeated cross-sectional design was used. The relationships between telehealth use (classified as low, moderate, or high) and selected sociodemographic and health-related characteristics were assessed using logistic regression techniques. Variable selection and findings were situated within the Technology Acceptance Model, the Unified Theory of Acceptance, and the Use of Technology theoretical frameworks. Results: Of the 21,830 participants aged ≥65 years, the proportion who indicated adopting telehealth ranged from 50.77% (11,082/21,830) at survey 1 in 2020 to 39.4% (7401/18,782) at survey 5 in 2022. High levels of telehealth use were associated with being female, aged <85 years, living in a major city, cohabiting with others, and being from the most socioeconomically disadvantaged areas (deciles 1-3). Individuals with a disability, chronic disease, multimorbidity, and lower perceived quality of life and those experiencing missed or delayed care were significantly more likely to use telehealth across all levels (P<.001). A temporal association was observed, whereby participants who engaged with telehealth services before or early in the pandemic (as assessed in survey 1) were more likely to continue telehealth use when assessed in survey 5 in 2022 (P<.001). Conclusions: This research contributes to the broader understanding of telehealth adoption and use among older adults. As telehealth models of care expand, there is an opportunity to tailor these services to the needs of older adults, particularly those living with chronic diseases and multimorbidity, by using targeted strategies that overcome barriers to accessing specialized health care services.

Background: Work-integrated learning (WIL) in rural communities provides students with important learning opportunities while also providing a service to those communities. To optimise the potential benefits of work-integrated learning for health students and rural communities it is important to explore the practices and outcomes of these experiences. Methods: This study used a qualitative research design underpinned by the theoretical framework of Theory of Practice Architectures to examine the way students learn during these placements. Purposive sampling was used to identify students for participation in the study. Seven students from the disciplines of paramedicine, physiotherapy, and speech pathology participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results: The learning described by the students was examined, followed by a critical interrogation of the data to assess how these learnings and associated practices were made possible given the site-specific practice architectures. The findings of the research are represented by three themes: learning affordances related to placement design, learning through relationships between people and professions, and learning through rural embeddedness. Conclusion: Being embedded in rural communities gave the students access to several arrangements that fostered learning, particularly through the sayings, relatings and doings that the students engaged with. This research demonstrates the transformative potential of rural WIL opportunities for learning and future rural practice.