Exploring the use and experience of a digital platform to support rural health professionals in Australia

Digital technology can reduce geographical barriers, improve access to care for patients and increase work flexibility and support for health professionals in rural areas. Rural Health Pro is an innovative digital platform developed in New South Wales (NSW), Australia by RDN - The Charity for Health Access to provide curated rural health information and promote greater collaboration to support rural health professionals. Assessing the experience and satisfaction of users of the Rural Health Pro platform is crucial for understanding the potential of platforms like this in supporting rural health professionals. This study aimed to examine health professionals' experience of using Rural Health Pro in their everyday work, including its functionality, content and impact. The study also aimed to identify the factors influencing health professionals' usage of the platform and likelihood of recommending it to colleagues.

Three cross-sectional online surveys were distributed during 2020/2021, 2021/2022 and 2023 by RDN to rural health professional users of Rural Health Pro, with 186 respondents included in our analyses. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to assess the associations between the outcome variables (frequency of use and likelihood of recommendation) and independent variables (health professionals' sociodemographic factors, content access, device access and capability).

Sixty percent of rural health professionals surveyed used Rural Health Pro frequently (≥1 time/month), and 71% were highly likely to recommend it to a colleague. In the multivariate model, respondents aged 40-59 years who accessed Rural Health Pro for professional development and learning, career and support opportunities, as well as community and networking content, were more likely to use it with higher frequency. Those with higher education level and access to professional development and learning opportunities and career support content self-reported higher capability. Those who frequently used the platform were significantly more likely to recommend it to others.

Our study provides valuable insights for the future use and development of digital platforms to support rural health professionals in their healthcare roles. The results support the value of these solutions, demonstrating that, by providing support to rural health professionals, they experienced enhanced feelings of capability in their role and improved job retention - and ultimately this increases the chances of rural health professionals remaining at work in rural communities.