@article{ref1,
title="The challenges to public health nurse practice in rural Ireland",
journal="Public health nursing",
year="2019",
author="Farrelly, Tom and Flaherty, Sinéad and Healy, Hannah",
volume="36",
number="3",
pages="341-347",
abstract="OBJECTIVES: The primary objective was to understand the contemporary public health nurse's (PHN) role and the issues that they face working in rural Ireland. DESIGN AND SAMPLE: This study was based on an ethnographic approach with 13 PHNs working in rural areas in the South West of Ireland. MEASUREMENTS: A combination of solicited diaries and semi-structured interviews referred to as the diary/interview method were employed. Diaries were used by the PHNs to record their working day on a staggered basis from February to April 2017 with the subsequent interviews carried out in June and July 2017. <br><br>RESULTS: Working as a PHN in a rural area presented a number of issues such as time spent on traveling as a result of geographical disparity & poor road networks; client transport issues; a sense of working in isolation; communication issues with respect to computer/tablet hardware availability, mobile phone and broadband connectivity and the availability of, and the physical access to services. <br><br>CONCLUSION: PHNs operating in rural communities face a distinct set of challenges that they have a limited ability to address. Legislators, health care providers and policymakers need to create a supportive environment that helps address these challenges in Ireland.<br><br>© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0737-1209",
doi="10.1111/phn.12595",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/phn.12595"
}