Healthcare Providers’ Perceptions of Potentially Preventable Rural Hospitalisations: A Qualitative Study

Andrew Ridge, Gregory M. Peterson, Bastian M. Seidel, Vinah Anderson and Rosie Nash
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Andrew Ridge: School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia
Gregory M. Peterson: School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia
Bastian M. Seidel: Huon Valley Health Centre, Huonville, TAS 7109, Australia
Vinah Anderson: School of Health Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia
Rosie Nash: School of Medicine, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 23, 1-14

Abstract: Potentially preventable hospitalisations (PPHs) are common in rural communities in Australia and around the world. Healthcare providers have a perspective on PPHs that may not be accessible by analysing routine patient data. This study explores the factors that healthcare providers believe cause PPHs and seeks to identify strategies for preventing them. Physicians, nurses, paramedics, and health administrators with experience in managing rural patients with PPHs were recruited from southern Tasmania, Australia. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted, and reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Participants linked health literacy, limited access to primary care, and perceptions of primary care services with PPH risk. The belief that patients did not have a good understanding of where, when, and how to manage their health was perceived to be linked to patient-specific health literacy challenges. Access to primary healthcare was impacted by appointment availability, transport, and financial constraints. In contrast, it was felt that the prompt, comprehensive, and free healthcare delivered in hospitals appealed to patients and influenced their decision to bypass rural primary healthcare services. Strategies to reduce PPHs in rural Australian communities may include promoting health literacy, optimising the delivery of existing services, and improving social support structures.

Keywords: rural; primary care; preventable hospitalisation; avoidable; health literacy; access (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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