Approach to sustainable primary health care service delivery for rural and remote South Australia

ABSTRACT: We describe the operation of four University Teaching Practices established by the South Australian Centre for Rural and Remote Health (SACRRH) and the Adelaide University Department of General Practice. These practices were established in response to the acknowledged difficulty in recruiting and retaining GPs in rural South Australia. The practices are co-located with a hospital or accident and emergency service and community based nurses and allied health professionals. They provide integrated health care and multidisciplinary health care student placements in a learning environment where students experience rural multidisciplinary practice and country life. The study found that although the sites differed in significant ways, they all provided integrated care and effective placements for students. This style of health care delivery is flexible and broadly applicable. Sustainability is achieved through financially viability, attracting and retaining health care professionals and the development of electronic information systems, to support integrated practice.