University departments of rural health - how do they benefit rural and remote health consumers?
The aims of the University Department of Rural Health in Tasmania are to change the culture within health care to give high priority to rural heath and to link academic concerns of education and research with operational concerns of service development and delivery. Some practical examples of how this benefits the rural health consumer include: self-management of chronic disease; midwifery development program; rural mental health services; rural health and information technology; volunteer ambulance officers; a network of rural health teaching sites.