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Geography of primary mental health care through the Better Access initiative in South Australia 2006-2010

Carson, Dean B., Bidargaddi, Niranjan, Schrader, Geoffrey, Allison, Stephen, Jones, Gabrielle M., Bastiampillai, Tarun and Strobel, Jörg (2015). Geography of primary mental health care through the Better Access initiative in South Australia 2006-2010. Australian Journal of Rural Health,24(3):188-192.

Document type: Journal Article
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IRMA ID 84278914xPUB18
Title Geography of primary mental health care through the Better Access initiative in South Australia 2006-2010
Author Carson, Dean B.
Bidargaddi, Niranjan
Schrader, Geoffrey
Allison, Stephen
Jones, Gabrielle M.
Bastiampillai, Tarun
Strobel, Jörg
Journal Name Australian Journal of Rural Health
Publication Date 2015
Volume Number 24
Issue Number 3
ISSN 1038-5282   (check CDU catalogue open catalogue search in new window)
Start Page 188
End Page 192
Total Pages 5
Place of Publication Australia
Publisher Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia
Field of Research 1117 - Public Health and Health Services
HERDC Category C1 - Journal Article (DIISR)
Abstract Objective
To examine how the rates of the use of particular face-to-face primary mental health care services changed in the first 4 years (2006–2010) of the Better Access initiative in both urban and rural regions of South Australia.

Design
Time-series analysis of the number of psychology session, psychiatry assessment and general practitioner care plan services recorded in Medicare Australia data.

Setting
South Australia. Pre-existing data set of South Australian residents who accessed Medicare between 2006 and 2010

Main objective measure
Number of services per 100 000 population (service rate).

Results
Psychology session service rates increased in all regions, but continued to follow a ‘location gradient’, being higher in areas closer to Adelaide and lower in areas more distant from Adelaide. Psychiatry assessment service rates increased in Adelaide but did not change in other regions. Rates in remote areas were subject to substantial variation over time. General practitioner care plan service rates increased in Adelaide and in the Riverland, but declined in the Murray Mallee region.

Conclusions
Overall, service rates increased in Adelaide and nearby regions, but the results for rural and remote regions were mixed. Possible explanations for the geographical variability include population characteristics (such as socio-economic status), methods of service delivery (visiting practitioners, telepsych), the relative proportion of total health services provided by general practitioners versus other practitioners, or real variations in the need for primary mental health services.
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ajr.12237   (check subscription with CDU E-Gateway service for CDU Staff and Students  check subscription with CDU E-Gateway in new window)
 
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Created: Tue, 26 Jul 2016, 12:37:53 CST