Question 1

When access to health care relative to health need is examined,we find that:

Accepted Answer

The Access Relative to Need (ARN)index shows that health outcomes improve more when consumers have improved access to GPs in geographical areas of high need than they do when there is improved access to GPs in areas of low health need.

Question 2

Health inequality is:

Accepted Answer

Inequality refers to the uneven distribution of health outcomes that can be attributed to biological variations (e.g.cystic fibrosis,a medical condition that is inherited)or pre-determined factors (e.g.age).

Question 3

Geographical classification systems have been used to differentiate between urban,rural and remote areas and to provide incentives for health professionals to relocate to districts of workforce shortages.Of the following,which have been most recently developed for use in Australia?

Accepted Answer

The ASGC-RA is based on a refinement of enhanced ARIA and is currently used by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.The newly implemented MMM has adapted the ASGC-RA to create a new seven-level geographical classification system that distinguishes different town sizes in Inner and Outer Regional Australia.This system takes six sentinel indicators of rural health workforce recruitment and retention into account:hours worked;work in a public hospital;working after-hours;ability to have time off;employment opportunities for a partner;and choice of schools available locally.It is currently used by the Department of Health.

Question 4

In terms of equity,unequal treatment of unequal groups (whereby a service accounts for the special needs of those in a group and adjusts how the service is delivered to meet the needs of this group)is:

Accepted Answer

This is vertical equity.

Question 5

Which of the following examples of innovative Australian rural health service models is designed to meet communities' needs in diverse cultural and geographical settings?

Accepted Answer

All of these models have evolved in an attempt to meet the health care needs of rural and remote Australians.

Question 6

The term 'affordability' refers to:

Accepted Answer

Affordability refers to the financial and time costs related to using a health service.

Question 7

Health inequity is:

Accepted Answer

Differences in health status between population groups that can be linked to potentially modifiable social or economic factors.

Question 8

The use of geographical classification systems alone for the development of policy,the allocation of resources and service delivery model development is problematic,as they do not account for which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The use of geographical classifications systems alone can be problematic,as they do not account for socio-demographic indicators such as health status,population density,environmental factors,community resources,availability of communication,access to health care from a consumers' perspective (e.g.transport)and health literacy.

Question 9

Overall,compared with their urban counterparts,the health status of rural Australians is:

Accepted Answer

With increasing remoteness,Australians' life expectancy decreases;there are higher rates of chronic diseases such as asthma,lung disease,arthritis and oral diseases;higher rates of risk factors for disease such as obesity/overweight,harmful drinking levels,and infants born with low birth weight.

Question 10

There are a number of dimensions that interact to facilitate access to health services.Among these dimensions,the term 'acceptability' means :

Accepted Answer

Acceptability refers to the social and cultural factors that influence a client's preference for a service.

Question 11

The Australian health workforce distribution:

Accepted Answer

There is inequitable distribution of health workers between urban areas and rural and remote areas where health care needs are often greatest.More than 75% of the health practitioners registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency are located in ASGC-RA Major Cities and less than 2% are located in ASGC-RA Remote and Very Remote areas.The geographical spread of the health workforce does not reflect the distribution of the population and highlights the reduced access to health services in rural and remote areas.

Quiz 10: Rural Health Systems: Spotlight on Equity and Access