Objectives:To characterise the people retrieved by the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) for treatment of mental and behavioural disorders, and to assess mental health care provision in rural and remote areas.Design: Prospective review of routinely collected RFDS and Health Direct data.

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Background Inequalities in access to renal services and acute care for rural and remote populations in Australia have been described but not quantified. Aim To describe: the coverage of renal disease management services in rural and remote Australia; and the characteristics of patients who had an aeromedical retrieval for renal disease by Australia's Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). Methods Data from the RFDS, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and Health Direct were used to estimate provision of renal disease management services by geographic area. RFDS patient diagnostic data were prospectively collected from 2014 to 2018. Results Many rural and remote areas have limited access to regular renal disease management services. Most RFDS retrievals for renal disease are from regions without such services. The RFDS conducted 1636 aeromedical retrievals for renal disease, which represented 1.6% of all retrievals. Among retrieved patients, there was a higher proportion of men than women (54.6% vs 45.4%, P < 0.01), while indigenous patients (n = 546, 33.4%) were significantly younger than non‐indigenous patients (40.9 vs 58.5, P < 0.01). There were significant differences in underlying diagnoses triggering retrievals between genders, with males being more likely than females to be transferred with acute renal failure, calculus of the kidney and ureter, renal colic, obstructive uropathy, and kidney failure (all P < 0.01). Conversely, females were more likely to have chronic kidney disease, disorders of the urinary system, acute nephritic syndrome, tubulo‐interstitial nephritis, and nephrotic syndrome (all P < 0.01). Conclusion Aeromedical retrievals for acute care were from rural areas without regular access to renal disease prevention or management services.

ObjectiveTo describe the characteristics of patients who used the Royal Flying Doctor Service dental clinics and determine Royal Flying Doctor Service and non‐Royal Flying Doctor Service dental service provision in mainland Australia.DesignA prospective cohort study.SettingAll Royal Flying Doctor Service dental clinics located throughout rural and remote Australia.ParticipantsAll patients who accessed an Royal Flying Doctor Service dental clinic from April 2017 to September 2018.InterventionsRoyal Flying Doctor Service mobile dental clinics.Main outcome measuresPatient demographics and dental procedures conducted (by age, sex and Indigenous status); and the dental service provision and coverage (Royal Flying Doctor Service and non‐Royal Flying Doctor Service) within mainland rural and remote Australia.ResultsThere were 8992 patient episodes comprising 3407 individual patients with 27 897 services completed. There were 920 (27%) Indigenous and 1465 (43%) non‐Indigenous patients (n = 1022 missing ethnicity data). The mean (SD) age was 31.5 (24.8) years; the age groups 5‐9 years and 10‐14 years received 17.6% and 15.1% of the services, respectively. There were 1124 (33%) men and 1295 (38%) women (n = 988 with missing sex data). Women were more likely (all P < .05) to receive preventive services, diagnostic services, restorative services, general services, endodontics and periodontics. Men were more likely (both P < .05) to receive oral surgery and prosthodontics. There are many rural and remote people required to travel more than 60 minutes by vehicle to access dental care.ConclusionWithout increasing dental provision and preventive services in rural areas, it seems likely that there are and will be unnecessary oral emergencies and hospitalisations.

Introduction The aim of this paper was to describe the characteristics of paediatric patients who underwent an aeromedical retrieval within Australia (gender and Indigenous status) for suspected appendicitis between 1 July 2014 and 30 June 2018 (4 years). By understanding these trends, we hope to further justify the need for point‐of‐care ultrasound training for clinicians working in rural and remote Australia. Method Participants included Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) patients aged 0–18 years (inclusive) who underwent an aeromedical retrieval for suspected appendicitis within Australia. Data were collected and coded on each patient’s inflight working diagnosis, using the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, Australian Modification (ICD‐10‐AM) coding method. A combination of descriptive statistics and chi‐square analyses was used in data analysis, with significance considered at <0.05. Results There were 384 children with a working diagnosis of suspected appendicitis, including 191 (49.7%) males and 193 (50.3%) females, with 133 (34.6%) patients identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (hereafter referred to as Indigenous) Australians. The aeromedical retrievals were from rural and remote locations to inner‐regional or metropolitan hospitals, with an average distance flown of 339.0 (SD = 206.4) kilometres. The RFDS most frequently retrieved for acute appendicitis (n = 159; 41.4%), acute abdominal pain (n = 127; 33.1%), and unspecified appendicitis (n = 84; 21.9%). There were non‐significant (P = 0.9) diagnostic differences between genders. Non‐Indigenous patients were overrepresented, compared with Indigenous patients, in relation to a transfer with a diagnosis of acute appendicitis (P = <0.01), whereas Indigenous patients were overrepresented, compared with non‐Indigenous patients, in relation to transfers with diagnoses of acute abdomen pain and unspecified appendicitis (P = <0.01). Conclusion A significant number of paediatric patients are aeromedically retrieved from rural and remote locations with a diagnosis of appendicitis or acute abdominal pain. Future research should consider whether training in abdominal point‐of‐care ultrasound reduces retrievals.