Abstract
Health professionals viewed that services most needed in rural and remote areas of South Australia include family planning clinics, increased access to contraception and free contraception.
Research into health professional's views of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues in rural and remote areas of South Australia was recently conducted by Dr Wendy Abigail from Flinders University School of Nursing and Midwifery.
The ethically approved online survey sought the views of healthcare professionals to identify the SRH issues women in rural and remote areas of South Australia experience for the purpose of informing policies and practice.
Healthcare professionals from rural and remote areas of South Australia reported poor access to sexual and reproductive healthcare was the main barrier women faced. This included poor access to pregnancy counselling services. Over half of the health professionals reported that there were no local services available to women for pregnancy options counselling. Respondents also reported limited access to services and limited service options for women who were seeking pregnancy option counselling and referrals. Counselling was mainly provided by GPs, although to a lesser extent telephone and specialist nursing staff counselling options were reported. Barriers to pregnancy counselling for women in rural and remote areas were reported to include long travel distances, transport issues, lack of social support, costs and lack of confidentiality.
Poor access to contraception was another major issue reported by the health professionals. Reasons for poor access included lack of confidentiality, lack of knowledge, distance and travel to access services. Health professionals viewed that services most needed in rural and remote areas of South Australia include family planning clinics, increased access to contraception and free contraception.
Further research is required to explore rural and remote women's experiences of their access to SRH services. This research could include how they navigate the identified poor access to SRH setvices and also possible solutions that could be implemented in rural and remote areas to address the deficits in SRH setvice provision.
Research into health professional's views of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues in rural and remote areas of South Australia was recently conducted by Dr Wendy Abigail from Flinders University School of Nursing and Midwifery.
The ethically approved online survey sought the views of healthcare professionals to identify the SRH issues women in rural and remote areas of South Australia experience for the purpose of informing policies and practice.
Healthcare professionals from rural and remote areas of South Australia reported poor access to sexual and reproductive healthcare was the main barrier women faced. This included poor access to pregnancy counselling services. Over half of the health professionals reported that there were no local services available to women for pregnancy options counselling. Respondents also reported limited access to services and limited service options for women who were seeking pregnancy option counselling and referrals. Counselling was mainly provided by GPs, although to a lesser extent telephone and specialist nursing staff counselling options were reported. Barriers to pregnancy counselling for women in rural and remote areas were reported to include long travel distances, transport issues, lack of social support, costs and lack of confidentiality.
Poor access to contraception was another major issue reported by the health professionals. Reasons for poor access included lack of confidentiality, lack of knowledge, distance and travel to access services. Health professionals viewed that services most needed in rural and remote areas of South Australia include family planning clinics, increased access to contraception and free contraception.
Further research is required to explore rural and remote women's experiences of their access to SRH services. This research could include how they navigate the identified poor access to SRH setvices and also possible solutions that could be implemented in rural and remote areas to address the deficits in SRH setvice provision.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 45-45 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Journal | Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2015 |
