Vaughan Brett, Steel Amie, Fleischmann Michael, Grace Sandra, Fitzgerald Kylie, Engel Roger, Adams Jon
Department of Medical Education, University of Melbourne, Vic., Australia; Faculty of Health, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia; and School of Public Health, University of Technology Sydney, NSW, Australia
School of Public Health, University of Technology Sydney, NSW, Australia
Rural Remote Health. 2023 Mar;23(1):7085. doi: 10.22605/RRH7085. Epub 2023 Mar 21.
There is significant interest in allied health and the role it plays in health care for rural and remote populations. In Australia, osteopaths are allied health professionals who manage predominantly musculoskeletal complaints using manual therapy, exercise and patient education. Workforce distribution is a significant issue for osteopathy in Australia with most practitioners centred in the metropolitan regions of Victoria and New South Wales. There is limited evidence about the role osteopathy plays in the musculoskeletal health of Australian rural and remote populations. This research sought to profile the characteristics of Australian osteopaths who practise in rural and remote settings.
A secondary analysis of the Osteopathy Research and Innovation Network (ORION) data was undertaken to identify the demographic, practice and clinical management characteristics of Australian osteopaths in rural and remote settings. ORION is a practice-based research network for the Australian osteopathy profession. The ORION questionnaire comprised 27 items regarding osteopaths' characteristics. Inferential statistics were used to identify characteristics that were significantly different between Australian osteopaths practising in rural and remote settings compared to those practising in urban settings. Logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (AOR) relating to characteristics significantly associated with practising in a rural and remote setting.
Of 992 osteopaths who responded to the ORION questionnaire, 18.3% (n=172) indicated practising in a rural and remote setting. Australian osteopaths in rural and remote settings were more likely to report receiving referrals from massage therapists (AOR 2.17), send referrals to other osteopaths (AOR 1.64), and often treat patients over the age of 65 years (AOR 2.25) compared to their urban counterparts. Osteopaths in rural and remote setting were less likely to report using private health insurance claim systems (AOR 0.36) and to treat non-English-speaking patients (AOR 0.09).
This secondary analysis identified several practitioner and practice characteristics that differ between osteopaths practising in rural and remote settings and those practising in urban settings. These findings contribute to the emerging picture of the practice of rural and remote Australian osteopaths. Further research is required to understand the role osteopaths play in rural and remote health care, and how the current data can inform workforce and health policy development.
人们对辅助医疗及其在农村和偏远地区医疗保健中所起的作用极为关注。在澳大利亚，整骨疗法医生是辅助医疗专业人员，主要通过手法治疗、运动疗法和患者教育来处理肌肉骨骼方面的问题。劳动力分布是澳大利亚整骨疗法领域的一个重要问题，大多数从业者集中在维多利亚州和新南威尔士州的大都市地区。关于整骨疗法在澳大利亚农村和偏远地区居民肌肉骨骼健康方面所起作用的证据有限。本研究旨在剖析在农村和偏远地区执业的澳大利亚整骨疗法医生的特征。
对整骨疗法研究与创新网络（ORION）的数据进行二次分析，以确定在农村和偏远地区执业的澳大利亚整骨疗法医生的人口统计学、执业情况和临床管理特征。ORION是一个基于执业情况的澳大利亚整骨疗法专业研究网络。ORION问卷包含27个关于整骨疗法医生特征的项目。使用推断统计来确定在农村和偏远地区执业的澳大利亚整骨疗法医生与在城市地区执业的医生之间存在显著差异的特征。使用逻辑回归来计算与在农村和偏远地区执业显著相关的特征的调整比值比（AOR）。
在992名回复ORION问卷的整骨疗法医生中，18.3%（n = 172）表示在农村和偏远地区执业。与城市地区的同行相比，在农村和偏远地区执业的澳大利亚整骨疗法医生更有可能报告收到按摩治疗师的转诊（AOR 2.17）、将患者转诊给其他整骨疗法医生（AOR 1.64），并且经常治疗65岁以上的患者（AOR 2.25）。在农村和偏远地区执业的整骨疗法医生不太可能报告使用私人医疗保险理赔系统（AOR 0.36）以及治疗非英语患者（AOR 0.09）。
这项二次分析确定了在农村和偏远地区执业的整骨疗法医生与在城市地区执业的医生之间存在差异的几个从业者和执业特征。这些发现有助于勾勒出澳大利亚农村和偏远地区整骨疗法执业的新情况。需要进一步研究以了解整骨疗法医生在农村和偏远地区医疗保健中所起的作用，以及当前数据如何为劳动力和卫生政策制定提供参考。
