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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare quality

Transitional Palliative Care for Family Caregivers: Outcomes From a Randomized Controlled Trial
Examines the influence of mentoring from a palliative care nurse on family caregivers in rural and medically underserved areas of three states. Analyzes adult caregivers from 2018-2022 after their care recipient who utilized inpatient palliative care was discharged from the hospital. Compares a control group who received only monthly phone calls with an intervention group who received teaching, guidance, and counseling. Discusses importance of both caregiver support and patient wellness.
Author(s): Joan M. Griffin, Jay N. Mandrekar, Catherine E. Vanderboom, et al.
Citation: Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 68(5), 456-466
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
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Emergency Medical Services (EMS): A Look at Disparities in Funding and Outcomes
Details disparities related to rurality, income, sex, and race in emergency medical services (EMS) funding, staffing, and patient outcomes. Provides a case study of local EMS agencies in 11 California counties, highlighting challenges rural agencies face related to funding and quality of care.
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Quality Measurement in Rural Health Clinics: Policy Brief and Recommendations to the Secretary
Provides an overview of the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) program, RHC participation in value-based programs and models, and quality reporting challenges. Describes opportunities for growth in RHC quality reporting. Offers two policy recommendations to support RHC participation in value-based care.
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Telehealth: 2025 National Patient Safety Goals
Identifies National Patient Safety Goals for the Joint Commission's Telehealth Accreditation Program. Covers patient and resident identification, caregiver communication, medication safety, suicide prevention, healthcare equity, and more. Effective January 1, 2025.
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Joint Commission
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Rural Health Clinic: 2025 National Patient Safety Goals
Identifies National Patient Safety Goals for the Joint Commission's Rural Health Clinic Accreditation Program. Covers patient identification, medication safety, infection prevention, and more. Effective January 1, 2025.
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Joint Commission
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Critical Access Hospital: 2025 National Patient Safety Goals
Identifies National Patient Safety Goals for the Joint Commission's Critical Access Hospital Accreditation Program. Covers patient identification, caregiver communication, medication safety, infection prevention, suicide prevention, healthcare equity, and more. Effective January 1, 2025.
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Joint Commission
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Validation of Prognostic Scales for Functional Outcome in Ischemic Stroke Patients Treated with Intravenous Thrombolysis in a Rural Setting
Examines the efficacy of prognostic tools for stroke recovery in a rural setting, utilizing data of 279 stroke patients who received thrombolytic therapy at the Southern Illinois Healthcare Stroke Network from July 2017 to June 2024. Provides data on the performance of the DRAGON, MRI-DRAGON, and S-TPI tools in predicting positive and negative patient outcomes.
Author(s): Andrea Loggini, Faddi G Saleh Velez, Jonatan Hornik, et al.
Citation: Cerebrovascular Diseases Extra, 14(1), 148-157
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
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Northern Maine Medical Center: A Rural Hospital Gaining Momentum in its Work Toward Quality Improvement
Profiles a prospective payment hospital in northern Maine that engaged in the 2022-2023 Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project (RHPTP), focusing on financial sustainability, cost efficiency, and quality improvement. Highlights hospital accomplishments and improvements via participation of the project.
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Hospital Differences in Adult Inpatient Stays with Healthcare-Associated Infections, 2019 and 2021
Examines the rate of adult inpatient hospital stays involving five healthcare-associated infections (HAI) in 2019 and 2021. Presents data from an analysis of 2019 and 2021 State Inpatient Databases (SID) from public, non-federal acute-care hospitals across 38 states by hospital characteristics, including ownership, rural or urban location, safety-net designation, and Critical Access Hospital designation.
Author(s): Melissa A. Miller, Leyi Lin, David P. Calfee, Amy Gehrke, Alex Bohl
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Demographic-Based Disparities in Outcomes for Adults with Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections in the United States: A National Inpatient Sample Database Study (2016–2020)
Analyzes cost, length of stay, and mortality for hospitalized adults with central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), utilizing 2016-2020 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) data. Provides data on differences in care conditions by race and ethnicity, region, and rural versus urban location and teaching versus non-teaching hospital status.
Author(s): Marie Dix, Troy Belleville, Anjali Mishra, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Medicine, 11
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
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