Facilitators and Barriers to Provision of Hospital in the Home: Does Geographical Location Matter?

There is an increasing imperative for hospital services delivered in the home due to overburdened hospital systems, ageing populations and rising prevalence of chronic disease. Hospital in the home services have numerous advantages including reduced mortality, reduced hospital readmission and emergency department presentations and improved patient quality of life. Despite anticipated benefits for rural communities, which typically experience high prevalence of chronic disease and high rates of potentially avoidable hospitalisation, there appears to be limited research that focusses specifically on the provision of hospital in the home care in rural areas.