The McGrail Index of Access to Primary Care Matthew McGrail supervisors John Humphreys, Geetha Ranmu

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The McGrail Index of Access to Primary
CareMatthew McGrail (supervisors John Humphreys,
Geetha Ranmuthugala)School of Rural Health,
Centre for Multi-Disciplinary Studies in Rural
Health
Research aim To investigate and develop a
conceptual model and index of access to primary
care that takes account of the health needs of
rural populations.
The McGrail conceptual model of access
Acceptability-Appropriateness
Mobility
Availability
Proximity
(Spatial)
(Aspatial)

• Research objectives
• To assess the extent to which existing measures
  of rurality / access adequately take account of
  the health needs of rural populations.
• To develop and implement for Victoria, the
  McGrail index of access to primary care that
  takes account of the health needs of rural
  populations.
• Validate that the McGrail index is a more
  appropriate measure of access to primary care
  than existing measures in taking account of the
  health needs of rural populations.

Service-Population Geography
Health Needs
Population Amenability
Access

• Outcomes Anticipated
• Improved understanding of access and its
  dimensions.
• Development of a more appropriate methodology
  for access calculation.
• A more accurate and sensitive measure of primary
  care access for rural populations, implemented
  within Victoria.
• Better models for use in distributing of rural
  funding.

• Significance
• Access barriers in rural Australia are common.
  Eg increased distance, higher need but decreased
  availability, reduced choice.
• Health inequities in rural areas will increase
  without improved access, and in particular,
  access to primary care which is the most common
  point of entry.
• Current access measures (eg RRMA, ARIA) used in
  health are inadequate.
• Consequently, funding distributions for current
  programs aimed at improving access to rural
  populations, are flawed

www.med.monash.edu.au/srh