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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health disparities

Improving Rural Health Through Telehealth-Guided Provider-to-Provider Communication
Presents the results of a comprehensive literature review to identify, summarize, and evaluate available research on the contributions of rural provider-to-provider telehealth communication and collaboration in addressing health disparities, and improving the health of rural populations. Topics cover the specific applications, effectiveness, implementation, sustainability, and barriers and facilitators of provider-to-provider telehealth in rural areas.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Full Report, Telehealth's Potential To Benefit Rural Healthcare Delivery: Infographic 1, Telehealth's Potential To Benefit Rural Healthcare Delivery: Infographic 2
Author(s): Annette Totten, Dana M. Womack, Marian S. McDonagh, et al.
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Experiences with Health Care Access, Cost, and Coverage: Findings from the 2022 KFF Women's Health Survey
Presents findings from the 2022 KFF Women's Health Survey of 5,145 women ages 18-64 who were asked about their health status, use of prescription medications, accessibility to healthcare, their selected care sites, check-ups, use of telemedicine, and health coverage and costs. Includes data on telehealth services provided by urban and rural location.
Author(s): Michelle Long, Brittni Frederiksen, Usha Ranji, Alina Salganicoff, Karen Diep
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Effect of Health System on the Association of Rurality and Level of Disadvantage with Receipt of Diabetic Eye Screening
Examines the role of disadvantage related to rural versus urban disparities of eye screenings in Wisconsin. Analyzes 118,707 adults with diabetes who had billed claims recorded in a 2012-2013 all-payer database. Includes demographic information including age, sex, insurance payer, clinic rurality, clinic disadvantage, and hierarchical condition category (HCC) risk score. Discusses the need for health system-level change to address social determinants of health.
Author(s): Loren J. Lock, Roomasa Channa, Meghan B. Brennan, Ying Cao, Yao Liu
Citation: BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, 10(6), e003174
Date: 12/2022
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Impact of Healthcare Capacity Disparities on the COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Study
Examines the impact of the local healthcare capacity on vaccination coverage disparities in the U.S. at the county level. Identifies clustered low-vaccination areas in 17 states. Compares healthcare capacity, including social vulnerability, vaccine hesitancy, and medical doctors per capita, between low-vaccination and high-vaccination counties.
Author(s): Diego F. Cuadros, Juan D. Gutierrez, Claudia M. Moreno, et al.
Citation: The Lancet Regional Health - Americas, 18, 100409
Date: 12/2022
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COVID-19 in Nursing Homes: Outbreak Duration Averaged 4 Weeks and Was Strongly Associated with Community Spread
Examines how COVID-19 outbreaks affected nursing homes. Explores factors that were associated with the duration of COVID-19 outbreaks, including community-level transmission, staffing levels, nursing home size, and type of nursing homeownership. Includes rural references throughout.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Addressing Health Inequities in Rural California: An Interview with Roque Barros, Jr.
An interview with Roque Barros, Jr., executive director of the Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation (IVWF). Describes IVWF's work around civic engagement and community building, shares examples of successful rural philanthropy approaches, and discusses how philanthropy can help support rural communities.
Author(s): Joelle Cook, Roque Barros, Jr.
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: FSG
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Doula Care and Maternal Health: An Evidence Review
Examines the role of doula care in maternal health as well as impacts, challenges, access, disparities, reimbursement, and policy efforts related to maternity/doula care. Includes a county-level U.S. map of maternity care deserts and discussion of rural-specific maternity programs.
Author(s): Kathleen Knocke, Andre Chappel, Sarah Sugar, Nancy De Lew, Benjamin D. Sommers
Date: 12/2022
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Adolescent Reproductive Health Outcomes Among Mexican-Origin Women on Both Sides of the U.S.-Mexico Border
Highlights a study on the age, sexual history, and contraceptive use of adolescent mothers of Mexican origin in the U.S.-Mexico border region. Explores factors contributing to adolescent pregnancy. Compares foreign-born women of Mexican origin, U.S.-born women of Mexican origin, and Mexican women residing in Mexico. Breaks down data by age, household size, and rural versus urban/suburban location.
Author(s): Blair G. Darney, Emily Boniface, Laura E. Jacobson, et al.
Citation: Journal of Adolescent Health, 71(6), 679-687
Date: 12/2022
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Rural–Urban Disparities in Mortality and Place of Death for Gastrointestinal Cancer in the United States From 2003 to 2019
A research letter that examines age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR) from gastrointestinal cancer in large metro, medium/small metro, and rural areas. Analyzes 2,490,412 AAMR records between 2013 and 2019 utilizing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC Wonder) database. Provides breakdowns of AAMR data by age, sex, race/ethnicity, cancer type, urbanicity, and location of death, such as nursing facility, hospice facility, medical facility, or home.
Author(s): S.M. Qasim Hussaini, Amanda L. Blackford, Nivedita Arora, et al.
Citation: Gastroenterology, 163(6), 1676-1678
Date: 12/2022
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Geographical and Urban-Rural Disparities in Cardiac Rehabilitation Eligibility and Center-Based Use in the US
Research letter analyzing eligibility, participation, and completion of cardiac rehabilitation services by level of rurality. Utilizes 2017-2018 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Interactive Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke database.
Author(s): Erik H. Van Iterson, Luke J. Laffin, Dennis Bruemmer, Leslie Cho
Citation: JAMA Cardiology, 8(1), 98-100
Date: 11/2022
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