Rural hospital contributions to community health: community perspectives from a New Zealand rural hospital.

Introduction Rural hospitals provide secondary care for much of the rural New Zealand population. Little is known about community perspectives of the health and social contribution. Aim This descriptive qualitative study aimed to explore community views on the role of their rural hospital in a low socioeconomic rural district with a high Māori and Pacific population. Methods Semi-structured individual and focus group interviews were conducted with rural community members about the perceived role of their rural hospital. Iterative thematic analysis was undertaken. Results In total, 22 participants were interviewed. Thematic analysis yielded four themes: (i) rural hospitals as a safety net - providing access to emergency care and mitigating limited primary care access; (ii) providing personalised, culturally aware care; (iii) facilitating family/whanau support; and (iv) doing the best with limited resources. The latter included pragmatism about resource constraints, but a preference for the hospital to remain open. Discussion Rural hospitals contribute to community safety by enhancing access to emergency care and mitigating difficulties in access to primary care. The local contextual knowledge of rural hospital providers allows personalised, family-centred and culturally-responsive care. Despite service centralisation, rural hospitals are wanted by their communities. Rural health planners should consider how to maximise the breadth of locally-provided services to reduce the impacts of travel and transfer for care.