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Rural Health Information Hub

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

Patterns of Health Care Use among Rural-Urban Medicare Beneficiaries Age 85 and Older, 2010-2017
Policy brief examining how rural and urban Medicare beneficiaries age 85+ differ in terms of their socioeconomic and health characteristics that may inform healthcare use. Features statistics on trends in healthcare use, including inpatient and emergency department care, outpatient and prescription services, specialists and dentists, and home health and durable medical equipment, with breakdowns by urban and rural location.
Author(s): Yvonne Jonk, Heidi O'Connor, Amanda Burgess, Carly Milkowski
Date: 11/2022
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Small Rural Hospitals with Low-Volume Emergency Departments that May Convert to a Rural Emergency Hospital (REH)
Explores a variety of characteristics of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and rural hospitals eligible to convert to the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) designation, including patient volume, services and technology, EMS, and clinical staffing characteristics. Compares eligible hospitals by emergency department volume in 2019. Summarizes observations made by emergency department physician advisers regarding this data and REH implementation concerns.
Author(s): Margaret Greenwood-Ericksen, TJ Grant, Susie Gurzenda, et al.
Date: 10/2022
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Changes in Emergency Department Visits in the Initial Period of the COVID-19 Pandemic (April–December 2020), 29 States
Presents data from 29 states on the difference between the number of emergency department (ED) visits and ED admission rates between April and December 2020 and compares this data to the same time period in 2019. Includes data by patient characteristics, including urban-rural status and race/ethnicity.
Date: 10/2022
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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'Filling the Cracks': How a Rural Maine Community Kept its 24/7 Urgent Care Open with Paramedics
Features a pilot program serving rural Maine where paramedics take shifts staffing the local health center after-hours and on weekends.
Author(s): Gretel Kauffman
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 10/2022
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Suicide and Self-Harm in Youth Presenting to a US Rural Hospital During COVID-19
Presents a study on rural emergency department utilization and hospital admission for suicide or self-harm in children ages 5 to 17 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzes hospital data from January 2017 to May 2021. Breaks down data by demographic factors, such as sex and rurality, as well as length of stay and visit type, among other measures.
Author(s): Mary Arakelyan, Jennifer A. Emond, JoAnna K. Leyenaar
Citation: Hospital Pediatrics, 12(10), e336–e342
Date: 10/2022
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National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2019 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. Table 14 has metro/nonmetro injury visit data based on hospital location.
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Identifying Unique Barriers to Implementing Rural Emergency Department-Based Peer Services for Opioid Use Disorder Through Qualitative Comparison with Urban Sites
Study examining the implementation of emergency department-based interventions for opioid use disorder (OUD) in rural and urban areas based on interviews with programs in Indiana's Recovery Coach and Peer Support Initiative (RCPSI). Describes barriers to implementation for rural programs, including issues related to intervention characteristics, logistical challenges, and staffing issues.
Author(s): Dennis P. Watson, Monte D. Staton, Nicole Gastala
Citation: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 17, 41
Date: 07/2022
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Rural Health Disparities in Health Care Utilization for Dementia in Minnesota
Examines emergency department (ED) and inpatient hospitalization rates for older adults with dementia in rural and urban areas of Minnesota. Utilizes 2016-2018 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention disease-specific mortality data to compare to chronologically related H-CUP's State Inpatient Database (SID) and State Emergency Department Database (SEDD) hospital and ED visit data. Includes rural versus urban breakdowns of hospitalizations and ED visits by demographics such as age, sex, income, education, minority status, health behaviors, and access to healthcare providers.
Author(s): Sung Han Rhew, Kristen Jacklin, Patrick Bright, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 39(3), 656-665
Date: 07/2022
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Managing Innovation: A Qualitative Study on the Implementation of Telehealth Services in Rural Emergency Departments
Study examining adoption and utilization of telehealth through interviews with 18 key informants from 6 healthcare systems that provide telehealth support to 65 rural emergency departments through a hub-and-spoke model. Discusses stages of implementation and factors that facilitate or impede implementation.
Author(s): Mochamad Muska Nataliansyah, Kimberly A.S. Merchant, James A. Croker, et al.
Citation: BMC Health Services Research, 22, 852
Date: 07/2022
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Barriers and Facilitators Associated With Establishment of Emergency Department-Initiated Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder in Rural Maine
Presents a study on the barriers and facilitators for implementing programs that initiate buprenorphine treatment for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) seeking care in critical access hospital (CAH) emergency departments (EDs) in rural Maine. Highlights findings of a survey of CAH ED directors on the challenges of implementing buprenorphine initiation programs.
Author(s): Noah K. Rosenberg, Alexander B. Hill, Lily Johnsky, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 38(3), 612-619
Date: 06/2022
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