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Australian J Rural Health - 2025 - Quilliam - Mature‐Aged People in the Rural Health Workforce System A Systems Modelling444.94 kB
Published VersionCC BY-NC V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Mature-Aged People in the Rural Health Workforce System: A Systems Modelling Approach
Australian Journal of Rural Health, Vol.33(1), pp.1-7
2025
PMID: 39803775
Abstract
Objective
The median age of people in rural areas is older than those living in metropolitan areas. Harnessing the potential of the mature-aged population in rural communities may present a uniquely sustainable approach to strengthening the rural health workforce system. The objective of this study was to map the rural health workforce system in Australia and identify the current and potential role of mature-aged people in the workforce system.
Setting
Not applicable.
Participants
Not applicable.
Design
Systems thinking, specifically causal loop diagramming.
Results
The causal loop diagram illustrates the interrelated variables in the rural health workforce system. It also illustrates that the potential contribution of mature-aged people living in rural communities has been overlooked in the strategies to address the rural workforce undersupply.
Conclusion
Health workforces in regional, rural and remote communities in Australia have experienced constant undersupply despite ongoing government and community effort. Novel approaches are required to determine potential strategies to harness the capacity of rural mature-aged people to strengthen the rural health workforce.
Details
- Title
- Mature-Aged People in the Rural Health Workforce System: A Systems Modelling Approach
- Authors
- Claire Quilliam (Corresponding Author) - The University of MelbourneJason Thompson - The University of MelbourneNicole Crawford - Curtin UniversityCarol McKinstry - La Trobe UniversityAaron Chambers - Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-Operative (Australia)Ravi Bhat - Goulburn Valley HealthLeigh Stanbrook - Primary Care Connect (Australia)
- Publication details
- Australian Journal of Rural Health, Vol.33(1), pp.1-7
- Publisher
- John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1111/ajr.13222
- ISSN
- 1440-1584; 1038-5282
- PMID
- 39803775
- Copyright note
- © 2025 The Author(s). Australian Journal of Rural Health published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of National Rural Health Alliance Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
- Data Availability
- The authors have nothing to report.
- Organisation Unit
- Centre for Human Factors and Systems Science
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991184186002621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
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