TY - JOUR
T1 - Implementing enhanced paediatric asthma care in rural Australia
T2 - qualitative insights from healthcare professionals
AU - Mackle, Ryan
AU - Crespo-Gonzalez, Carmen
AU - Gray, Melinda
AU - Chan, Mei
AU - Hodgins, Michael
AU - Hu, Nan
AU - Angell, Blake
AU - Campbell, Nicole
AU - Owens, Louisa
AU - Fletcher, Jeffery
AU - McCrossin, Timothy
AU - Piper, Susie
AU - Du, Hong
AU - Haggie, Stuart
AU - Doyle, Aunty Kerrie
AU - Woolfenden, Sue
AU - Gould, Bronwyn
AU - Ward, Flic
AU - Lingam, Raghu
AU - Homaira, Nusrat
AU - Jaffé, Adam
AU - Asthma Care from Home Collaborative Group, null
PY - 2025/11/1
Y1 - 2025/11/1
N2 - Background: Healthcare professionals (HCPs) face barriers delivering effective paediatric asthma care, particularly in rural areas due to fragmented care, resource constraints, geographic, workforce and educational challenges. As part of the Asthma Care from Home project, we implemented a multicomponent asthma model of care for children in regional Australia, comprising educational resources, post-discharge communication and nurse-led virtual follow-up visits to standardise care, improve access and reduce hospitalisations. This study explored HCP perspectives on implementation to assess real-world feasibility in rural settings. Methods: This qualitative study explored contextual factors influencing HCP implementation. Purposive and convenience sampled HCPs from thirteen participating hospitals across four rural New South Wales Local Health Districts participated in virtual focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Interview guides were informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, and data were analysed using hybrid inductive-deductive thematic analysis. Results: Twenty-five HCPs participated in eight interviews and five focus groups. Three themes emerged: (1) Acceptability: HCPs valued standardised resources improving care consistency and virtual home visits overcoming geographic barriers, but identified challenges including variable parental engagement, General Practitioner accessibility, and workforce instability; (2) Standardisation: the model achieved consistent, equitable care with improved guideline adherence and enhanced hospital-community collaboration, strengthening HCP confidence and parent knowledge; (3) Transitioning to standard practice: participants advocated for continuation, suggesting digitised resources and greater integration into nurse-led pathways for sustainability. Conclusion: HCPs found the asthma care model feasible and acceptable despite rural healthcare challenges. Findings highlight the potential to embed the model within routine clinical practice in rural settings.
AB - Background: Healthcare professionals (HCPs) face barriers delivering effective paediatric asthma care, particularly in rural areas due to fragmented care, resource constraints, geographic, workforce and educational challenges. As part of the Asthma Care from Home project, we implemented a multicomponent asthma model of care for children in regional Australia, comprising educational resources, post-discharge communication and nurse-led virtual follow-up visits to standardise care, improve access and reduce hospitalisations. This study explored HCP perspectives on implementation to assess real-world feasibility in rural settings. Methods: This qualitative study explored contextual factors influencing HCP implementation. Purposive and convenience sampled HCPs from thirteen participating hospitals across four rural New South Wales Local Health Districts participated in virtual focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Interview guides were informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, and data were analysed using hybrid inductive-deductive thematic analysis. Results: Twenty-five HCPs participated in eight interviews and five focus groups. Three themes emerged: (1) Acceptability: HCPs valued standardised resources improving care consistency and virtual home visits overcoming geographic barriers, but identified challenges including variable parental engagement, General Practitioner accessibility, and workforce instability; (2) Standardisation: the model achieved consistent, equitable care with improved guideline adherence and enhanced hospital-community collaboration, strengthening HCP confidence and parent knowledge; (3) Transitioning to standard practice: participants advocated for continuation, suggesting digitised resources and greater integration into nurse-led pathways for sustainability. Conclusion: HCPs found the asthma care model feasible and acceptable despite rural healthcare challenges. Findings highlight the potential to embed the model within routine clinical practice in rural settings.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105019982770&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.rmed.2025.108444
DO - 10.1016/j.rmed.2025.108444
M3 - Article
C2 - 41120036
AN - SCOPUS:105019982770
SN - 0954-6111
VL - 249
JO - Respiratory Medicine
JF - Respiratory Medicine
M1 - 108444
ER -
