Out of sight out of mind: reframing remoteness in providing palliative care in remote Australia

Abstract:

People living in remote areas often experience problems accessing palliative care services, and yet there is a dearth of research examining these problems. A review of the limited literature on this topic highlights the assumption that poor access to services is chiefly a product of remoteness, or geography. This paper will argue, however, that previous studies have reacted to remoteness by focusing on a discourse of ‘needs and deficits’, which draws attention away from developing a body of remote area palliative care knowledge. The suggestion will be made that overemphasis of remoteness as the limiting factor has created a mind-set that extrapolates geographical limitations to people and, that such extrapolations are oppressive. Moreover, an over reliance on a simplistic and binary view of remote cultures, has shifted attention away from an examination of the real capacity of remote communities to aid in developing their own palliative care service. In exposing this as a distraction, this paper highlights the importance of understanding remote communities as heterogeneous entities separate from urban communities, and able to develop and use palliative care services based on the principle of community capacity.