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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Emergency department and urgent care services

Trends in Emergency Department Use by Rural and Urban Populations in the United States
Describes urban and rural differences in emergency department (ED) use from January 2005 to December 2016. Features statistics including demographics, payers, and characteristics of care, such as trends in ambulatory care–sensitive conditions and ED safety-net status.
Author(s): Margaret B. Greenwood-Ericksen, Keith Kocher
Citation: JAMA Network Open 2(4)
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
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Controlled Substance Use Among Psychiatric Patients in a Rural North Carolina Emergency Department
Features a study on common substances used by patients entering rural emergency departments (EDs) seeking mental health treatment. Focuses on a single ED in North Carolina and presents data by race, gender, and substance used.
Author(s): Elizabeth Gignac, Godwin Y. Dogbey, Gregory Capece, et al.
Citation: Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, 20(2), 419-425
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
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End-tidal CO2 Monitoring is Available in Most Community Hospitals in a Rural State: A Health System Survey
Examines the use of capnography with procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) in emergency departments (ED) across Iowa. Data is broken down by hospital staffing level, ED volume, and hospital type, including Critical Access Hospitals, Rural Referral Hospitals, rural hospitals, and urban hospitals.
Author(s): Steven A. Ilko, J. Priyanka Vakkalanka, Azeemuddin Ahmed, et al.
Citation: The Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 20(2), 232-236
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
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National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2016 Emergency Department Summary Tables
Provides data on ambulatory care emergency department (ED) hospital visits. Table 1 provides metropolitan/nonmetropolitan ED visit data based on hospital location, Table 2 includes metro/nonmetro ED visit data by location of patient residence, and Table 14 has metro/nonmetro injury visit data based on hospital location.
Date: 03/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Emergency Department Utilization by Native American Children
Examines pediatric emergency department (ED) utilization in Native American (NA) populations in urban and rural areas. Analyzes 8,294 visits by 5,275 NA patients and 44,503 visits by 33,945 White patients across 6 EDs between 2011-2012 to observe health disparities in different areas and populations. Includes data breakdowns of ED patient demographics and characteristics according to rural, mid-size urban, and large urban location.
Author(s): Heather G. Zook, Anupam B. Kharbanda, Susan E. Puumala, et al.
Citation: Pediatric Emergency Care, 34(11), 802-809
Date: 11/2018
Type: Document
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Community Perspectives on Emergency Department Use and Care for American Indian Children
Explores parental and community perspectives of pediatric emergency department (ED) use for American Indian (AI) populations. Utilizes qualitative data from 70 parents who participated in focus groups to report on issues such as healthcare access, healthcare environment, and culturally insensitive interactions with professionals. Includes participants from both rural and urban areas and presents differentiated experiences according to location.
Author(s): Wyatt J. Pickner, Katherine M. Ziegler, Jessica D. Hanson, et al.
Citation: Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 5(5), 939-946
Date: 10/2018
Type: Document
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Utilization and Adherence in Medical Homes: An Assessment of Rural-Urban Differences for People with Severe Mental Illness
Discusses whether enrollment in medical homes improves care in rural versus urban settings for people with severe mental illness (SMI). Examines utilization measures of primary care, mental health, emergency department, inpatient hospitalizations, and medication adherence using data derived from North Carolina Medicaid claims from 2004–2007.
Author(s): Mona Kilany, Joseph P. Morrissey, Marisa Elena Domino, et al.
Citation: Medical Care, 56(10), 870-876
Date: 10/2018
Type: Document
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Access in Brief: Rural and Urban Health Care
Compares healthcare access and use of services for children and adults with Medicaid to those with private insurance or no insurance for both rural and urban areas and for adults with disabilities. Includes access data by age group, income, and race/ethnicity and utilization data for office and emergency room visits. Addresses access to prescription drugs and eyeglasses as well as barriers to healthcare access.
Date: 10/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Telestroke Adoption among Community Hospitals in North Carolina: A Cross-sectional Study
Discusses the advantages of implementing telestroke in rural acute care hospitals, including Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), where stroke mortality is higher than in urban settings. Identifies the community and hospital characteristics associated with the adoption of the telestroke approach in acute care hospitals in North Carolina.
Author(s): Christopher M. Shea, Amir Alishahi Tabriz, Kea Turner, Steve North, Kristin L. Reiter
Citation: Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, 27(9), 2411-2417
Date: 09/2018
Type: Document
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Health Services Utilization in Asthma Exacerbations and PM10 Levels in Rural Colorado
Study examining the relationship between increased air levels of particulate matter with a diameter below 10 micrometers (PM10) and the number of asthma-related emergency/urgent visits and hospitalizations (EUH) in rural Colorado. Includes average EUHs and PM10 concentrations by day of week, month, and year from 2003-2012. Provides data from a biethnic population of White and Hispanic/Latino individuals, including breakdowns by age.
Author(s): Katherine James, Matthew Strand, Mika Hamer, Lisa Cicutto
Citation: Annals of the American Thoracic Society, 15(8), 947-954
Date: 08/2018
Type: Document
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