BACKGROUND Social inequality in child survival hampers the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG4). Monitoring under-five mortality in different social strata may contribute to public health policies that strive to reduce social inequalities. This population-based study examines the trends, causes, and social inequality of mortality before the age of five years in rural and urban ar...

BACKGROUND Many children receive their care at local hospitals outside of a large urban area. There may be differences in the length of stay (LOS) between children hospitalized in rural versus urban hospitals. This study compared the differences in LOS, conditional LOS (CLOS), odds of prolonged stay, and 21-day readmission rates for children with 19 medical conditions and 9 surgical procedures ...

Australia's rural hospitals face most of the same issues and challenges faced by metropolitan hospitals. However they also face additional challenges around geographic isolation, their iconic status and role as major employers in local communities, and their close relationship with community based health services. Future opportunities include more formal integration with community service throu...