Enough seagulls! Rural and remote communities need local researchers living, walking and talking with locals

Stewart, Ruth

doi:10.5694/mja2.50857

Topics

Researchers who live and work in community can respond to local clinical questions and provide feedback to community on their findings

Australians enjoy some of the best health outcomes in the world1 and those benefits are concentrated in our urban centres. Australians who live in rural and remote Australia have poorer health than their urban peers. The more remote your residence, the shorter your life span and the greater the burden of disease carried by your community.2

Australian Government Department of Health, National Rural Health Commissioner, Canberra, ACT

Correspondence: NRHC@health.gov.au

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

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2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Rural and remote health [web report]. Canberra: AIHW, 2019. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/rural-remote-australians/rural-remote-health (viewed Sept 2020).
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4. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Survey of health care: selected findings for rural and remote Australians [web report]. Canberra: AIHW, 2018. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/rural-remote-australians/survey-health-care-selected-findings-rural-remote (viewed Sept 2020).
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6. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2010. Australian health expenditure by remoteness: a comparison of remote, regional and city health expenditure (Health and Welfare Expenditure Series No. 50; Cat. No. HWE 50). Canberra: AIHW, 2011. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/health-welfare-expenditure/australian-health-expenditure-by-remoteness-a-com/contents/table-of-contents (viewed Sept 2020).
7. Osborne SR, Piper D. coordinating editors, on behalf of the Spinifex Network Rapid Review Subcommittee. Beyond the black stump: rapid reviews of a selection of key rural issues. Med J Aust 2020; 213 (11 Suppl): S1–S32.

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