The Rural Doctors Association of Victoria
| Home | :Rural Medicine | :Community Medicine |
Community Medicine
As well as the many towns that have hospitals, there are a number without hospitals and in all locations GPs have to manage illness without the depth of services and specialists seen in the metropolitan zones.
Rural small businesses and self-employed farmers are particularly vulnerable to the economic aspects of sickness in themselves, their families and their aged relatives, especially at crucial times in the farming cycle. Having medical capacity within the community is a major priority for them.
Rural doctors aim to manage illness within the community, whether in hospital or otherwise. It is necessary to have a high degree of skill to know the range of possibilities in any given condition and to manage it accordingly without unnecessary referral.
Such skills steadily increase the longer the doctor stays on in the rural location.
Studies have confirmed that rural GP consultations are more complex and that rural practice is more expensive to run. The Federal Government has instituted a number of initiatives and programs to support rural practice to overcome these problems.
The complexity of rural medicine has been recognized in 2006 by the COAG heads of State and by the Australian Medical Council in 2007.
Viable models of rural practice study. November 2003 http://www.rdaa.com.au/default.cfm?action=media&type=model
Strengthening the Health workforce in Rural and Remote areas and in indigenous communities 14.7.06 http://www.coag.gov.au/meetings/140706/index.htm#health
Vocational recognition of Fellows of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) 1.2.07 http://www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/publishing.nsf/Content/work-advice-acrrm