Co-location of services for refugees may be beneficial in addressing barriers to care. This model of care involves support for a specialist refugee nurse service with general practice, as well as developing partnerships with settlement support agencies and Primary Health Networks. We consider published literature on refugee perceptions of co-location, different models of care, upcoming research and priorities in the area.

Significant barriers remain to ensure the delivery of equitable and timely medical abortion services. The provision of early medical abortion in general practice by practice nurses is safe and effective and provides the opportunity to increase access in Australia. Key changes to legislation, nursing training, funding models and primary care systems are required to ensure this essential service is accessible and equitable.

Specialist physiotherapy services can fill a gap in the management of pain disorders in primary care. Currently, this service is an under-recognised value-added step between the GP and medical specialist, and could be a significant step in reducing health expenditure on expensive, low-value-care options in primary care. Increased utilisation of the capabilities and competencies of specialist physiotherapists can positively contribute to the health of Australians who suffer the burden of complex/persistent musculoskeletal pain complaints.

Recent policy initiatives in Australia have increased the involvement of allied health in the management of people with chronic conditions in primary care. Although this is positive, there is an opportunity for allied health to make a greater contribution. This paper highlights the gaps in the integration of allied health into primary healthcare teams, and provides some discussion as to how this could be improved to reduce the burden of chronic conditions on the healthcare system.

Hazara refugees and asylum seekers were one of the largest ethnic groups resettled in Australia from 2009 to 2013. The experiences of forced migration puts young Hazaras at a high risk of mental health issues, with varied understanding of mental health and a range of barriers affecting access to mental health care. Introducing mental health care in community settings, particularly through women, with a focus on resilience, could potentially overcome the barriers to mental health care access of young Hazaras.

To address barriers to abortion access in Australia, Marie Stopes Australia implemented a telehealth-at-home abortion service to which GPs could refer patients. Little was known about GPs’ experiences with and opinions of this service. Through interviews, we found that GPs were supportive of and saw benefits for patients of the telehealth-at-home abortion service, but had limited knowledge about its use and desired more communication with abortion care providers.

Optimal parental preconception health is crucial for pregnancy health, as well as the health of the offspring at birth and into adulthood. We evaluated a free online learning module to enhance the capacity of nurses and midwives in primary care to promote preconception health. We found that the learning module improves knowledge about and attitudes towards promoting preconception health in practice.

Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) are the most effective contraceptive methods available, and although most women keep their LARC in for the prescribed length of time, others will request early removal. This study found a perceived tension between doctors and their patients when early LARC removal was requested. Appropriate training and more relevant professional development may help primary care providers better navigate the tension surrounding early LARC removal consultations and maintain effective doctor–patient relationships.

Guidelines say primary care practitioners (PCPs) should promote dementia risk reduction (DRR) with their patients, but what does the Australian public think? One in 10 contributors to a Preventing Dementia Massive Open Online Course discussion board spontaneously agreed with the guidelines, although they thought PCPs did not prioritise DRR, lacked knowledge and faced Medicare and resource restrictions to promoting DRR. Dementia risk reduction needs to be better publicised, understood and prioritised within primary care.

Many people with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) report using the Internet to educate themselves on the condition. To determine whether consumers are receiving credible, accurate and comprehensive information (i.e. consistent with guideline-approved sources) we systematically reviewed the CRPS information available to Australians on the Internet. Understanding current online information limitations is a critical first step to allow the future design of appropriate online resources for CRPS.

Incorporating therapeutic gardening within therapeutic day rehabilitation is an appropriate program design for individuals recovering from substance abuse. This research has demonstrated positive outcomes with this combination, improving participants’ physical health, psychological health, and social relationships. In addition, it has helped participants to build social connections, a better understanding of recovery and a sense of achievement on completion of the program.

It is important to assess patient-rated importance of factors related to the provision of oral health services and contextual characteristics that determine the ratings of importance so that the utilisation of oral health services can be improved. This study explored the contextual characteristics that determine a patient’s importance ratings for clinic- and clinician-related factors. The findings provide future directions for changes to improve the delivery and utilisation of oral health services.

Many health professionals are unaware of the detrimental bidirectional relationship between diabetes and oral health, especially gum disease. However, the extent of knowledge of patients with diabetes about this interaction is not known, and this study reports a lack of knowledge in this group. Increased knowledge of this interrelationship will benefit the health of patients with diabetes.