Chen Jingyi, Bentley Sharon A, McKendrick Allison M, Thompson Sandra C, Turner Angus W, Alam Khyber
Department of Optometry and Vision Science, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.
Optometry and Vision Science, School of Clinical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.
Aust J Rural Health. 2025 Feb;33(1):e70004. doi: 10.1111/ajr.70004.
Rural residents face numerous barriers to accessing eye care services that contribute to disparities in eye health outcomes. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of the rural workforce on opportunities to improve patient access to eye care services, as well as understand the ways the workforce can be supported.
Regional, rural and remote Western Australia.
A qualitative descriptive approach was taken. Maximum variation and snowball sampling were used, and semi-structured interviews were conducted until data saturation. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using inductive thematic analysis.
Seventeen semi-structured interviews were conducted with six ophthalmologists, 10 optometrists and one non-clinician involved in delivering eye care services in rural Western Australia.
Four major themes were identified. 'Access to care' pertained to barriers and facilitators of timely and appropriate eye care for rural residents. 'Need for collaborative care framework' between ophthalmology and optometry emerged as a key opportunity to decrease wait times and maximise efficiency of visiting services. 'Motivation to work in rural settings' and 'challenges of working in rural settings' suggested opportunities to support the workforce.
This study finds that continued support through financial, personal, and professional means is important for workforce retention and satisfaction among eye care service providers in rural Western Australia. Although collaborative care models currently exist, the extent of collaboration between practitioners varies considerably. Further research is required on developing innovative, scalable and sustainable models of care to meet the eye care needs in rural Australia.
农村居民在获得眼科护理服务方面面临诸多障碍，这些障碍导致了眼部健康结果的差异。本研究旨在探讨农村医疗工作人员对改善患者获得眼科护理服务机会的看法，并了解如何支持医疗工作人员。
西澳大利亚州的地区、农村和偏远地区。
采用定性描述方法。使用了最大变异抽样和滚雪球抽样，并进行半结构化访谈，直至数据饱和。访谈进行录音、逐字转录，并采用归纳主题分析法进行分析。
对在西澳大利亚农村提供眼科护理服务的6名眼科医生、10名验光师和1名非临床医生进行了17次半结构化访谈。
确定了四个主要主题。“获得护理”涉及农村居民及时获得适当眼科护理的障碍和促进因素。眼科和验光之间“需要协作护理框架”成为减少等待时间和最大限度提高就诊服务效率的关键机会。“在农村地区工作的动机”和“在农村地区工作的挑战”表明了支持医疗工作人员的机会。
本研究发现，通过财政、个人和专业手段持续提供支持，对于西澳大利亚农村地区眼科护理服务提供者的人员留用和满意度很重要。虽然目前存在协作护理模式，但从业者之间的协作程度差异很大。需要进一步研究开发创新、可扩展和可持续的护理模式，以满足澳大利亚农村地区的眼科护理需求。
