Colleen Loos

Characteristics of Queensland physicians and the influence of rural exposure on practice location

The Queensland branch of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) commissioned this study to update their workforce profile and examine rural practice. The present investigation aimed to describe characteristics of Queensland physicians and determine the influence of childhood and training locations on current rural practice. A cross‐sectional online survey, conducted 4 July–4 November 2013, was administered to Fellows of The RACP, Queensland. Descriptive statistics report characteristics and logistic regression analyses identify associations and interactions. The outcome measure was current practice location using the Australian Standard Geographic Classification – Remoteness Area. Data were obtained for 633 physicians. Their average age was 49.5 years, a third was female and a quarter was in rural practice. Rural practice was associated with a rural childhood (odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval, CI) 1.89 (1.10, 3.27) P = 0.02) and any time spent as an intern (OR 4.07 (2.12, 7.82) P < 0.001) or registrar (OR 4.00 (2.21, 7.26) P < 0.001) in a rural location. Physicians with a rural childhood and rural training were most likely to be in rural practice. However, those who had a metropolitan childhood and a rural internship were approximately five times more likely to be working in rural practice than physicians with no rural exposure (OR 5.33 (1.61, 17.60) P < 0.01). The findings demonstrate the positive effect of rural vocational training on rural practice. A prospective study would determine if recent changes to the Basic Physician Training Pathway and the Basic Paediatric Training Network (more rural training than previous pathways) increases the rate of rural practice.

Near North Area of Influence Studies Phase 2 Retrospective Survey Data

The Near North Area of Influence studies comprise of the following suite of studies: nEast Timor Health Study: nThis project compared the health outcomes of a sample of 4000 ADF personnel who served in East Timor between 1999 and 2005 with a sample of 2500 personnel who did not deploy in the same time period. Self-report questionnaires and Defence-owned medical and psychological records were analysed and compared to determine any adverse outcomes of deployment. The study reports were released in 2009. nBougainville Health Study: nThis project compared the health outcomes of a sample of 4700 ADF personnel who were deployed on peace monitoring duties to Bougainville with a sample of 2300 personnel who did not deploy in the same time period. Like the East Timor study, self-report questionnaires and Defence-owned medical and psychological records were the data sources. The study reports were released in 2009. nSolomon Islands Health Study: nThis project compared the health outcomes of a sample of 500 veterans who deployed to the Solomon Islands between July 2003 and December 2005 with a sample of 500 who did not deploy. Self-report questionnaires were the data source. The study reports were released in 2009.

Self-reported indicators of psychological health

Studies examining the health of military personnel deployed overseas have been published by research teams in the United States and the United Kingdom. This research has examined the effects of combat on the mental and physical health of those who have been deployed.1-8 Recently, a research program on the health of deployed personnel began in Australia.9,10 Here we present data from the 2007 Solomon Islands Health Study, which focuses on a peace-keeping deployment between 2003 and 2005. We draw comparisons with data from major contemporaneous post-deployment epidemiological cohort studies from the United States and the United Kingdom, where deployments were in the same global political environment, but with greatly differing local hazards and exposures. These studies have particularly focused on the rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol abuse, which are recognized as major adverse health effects of deployment.