Understanding potentially avoidable hospitalisations in a rural Australian setting from the perspectives of patients and health professionals: a qualitative study and logic model.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Potentially avoidable hospitalisations (PAHs) are proxy measures of effective primary care at a population level. PAHs are higher in rural and disadvantaged areas. This qualitative study sought a deeper understanding of PAHs for chronic health conditions in a rural context from the perspectives of patients and health professionals, and aimed to develop a logic model for rural health services to identify intervention targets. METHODS: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive cardiac failure or type 2 diabetes, admitted to a rural hospital in Australia and local health professionals were invited to participate in interviews in late 2019. Semistructured interv..