Background: In New Zealand, as in many places, a significant proportion of the population lives outside the main urban centres. People living in regional areas have similar needs for audiological services as those living in urban centres; however, economic and geographical barriers can be a barrier to accessible services. The objective of this research was to explore factors that influence equitable audiological service provision and user uptake of services in regional areas of New Zealand.
Methods: Fifteen participants who represented either audiological service users living in rural or non-urban areas (regional) or audiological service providers in these areas were recruited. Semi-structured interviews were conducted virtually and on average took forty minutes to complete. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis to identify themes and subthemes related to audiological service delivery and uptake.
Results: Seven themes were identified. These are related to service provision, geographical barriers, and cultural appropriateness.
Conclusions: This study provides a basis for understanding the challenges of delivering and accessing audiological services in non-urban areas in New Zealand, and in principle elsewhere. There is scope for future research to further understand policy directions needed to achieve equitable audiological service provision in regional areas.
Keywords: access barriers; audiology services; equity; hearing loss; regional; rural health.