Mastering metabolic syndrome in general practice: exploring opportunities and challenges in rural Western Australia

Background: Metabolic syndrome is a significant global epidemic and presents greater challenges in rural areas than urban ones, where higher prevalence rates and poorer health outcomes have been reported. This condition has direct and indirect consequences on the individual and on the healthcare system through complications and healthcare costs. Dietary and lifestyle interventions provided by a primary care doctor are low cost, non-invasive and have a lower adverse effect profile than current pharmacological or surgical interventions. The literature, however, indicates potential barriers to this such as resource availability, time constraints and insufficient reimbursement to the provision of these services. Aims: We aim to identify the specific barriers and facilitators to delivering interventions for metabolic syndrome in rural primary care settings and to explore how general practitioners (GPs) can better prevent and manage metabolic health syndrome including AAAPC Abstracts Australian Journal of Primary Health lxxi through lifestyle and dietary strategies. Methods: This project involves a qualitative semi-structured interview of 15–20 general practitioners and registrars in rural Western Australia. Participants will be recruited through professional networks and local clinics. Interviews will be audio-recorded and then analysed using NVivo Qualitative Analysis software. Transcriptions will be coded using standard qualitative techniques. Themes and trends will be identified with relation to demographic characteristics of the participants to find any emerging patterns. Findings: At the time of this abstract submission, data collection has not been completed. Implications: By understanding the obstacles, targeted interventions can be developed and implemented to improve outcomes for patients with metabolic syndrome in rural Australia. This research holds significant implications for clinical practice, education, and policy, with the potential to reduce the burden on the healthcare system while keeping costs low for patients. Addressing metabolic syndrome in rural primary care through individualised, scalable interventions is expected to lead to substantial improvements in patient outcomes.