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Exploring and improving hospital care quality for New Zealand rural communities

Year:
2016
Duration:
24 months
Approved budget:
$222,000.00
Researchers:
Dr Carol Atmore
Health issue:
Other (generic health or health services)
Proposal type:
Foxley Fellowship
Lay summary
I have been a General Practitioner for 20 years, holding senior health leadership and system redesign roles since 2004. I have an MSc in Public Health. I want to redirect my efforts towards research to effect health system change. My research aims to understand and improve the quality of health care for people from rural communities. Through secondary analysis of Professor Susan Dovey’s HRC project 14/185 data, I will investigate differences in patient harms for people from rural and urban communities who receive hospital services. I will interview rural health providers, iwi and community groups to investigate what contributes to high quality hospital services, and how service design influences quality. I will identify actions that can improve the quality of hospital care received by rural communities. I will share my findings with rural health care planners, funders, providers, iwi and communities to inform future rural health service redesign.