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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Primary care

Availability of Primary Care Physicians in North Dakota
Fact sheet providing details about North Dakota's primary care physicians, or those working in family/general practice, general internal medicine, or general pediatrics. Uses 2015 data from the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile and compares physicians by rural/urban status, location of medical school, age, and sex.
Author(s): Gary Hart, Robin Besse, Mandi-Leigh Peterson
Date: 06/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of North Dakota Center for Rural Health
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Screening for Underage Drinking and DSM-5 Alcohol Use Disorder in Rural Primary Care Practice
Author manuscript describing study of 1,193 patients aged 12-20 who were assessed before their visit to one of 6 rural Pennsylvania clinics. Features statistics with breakdowns by age group, frequency of consumption, and quantity of consumption.
Author(s): Duncan B. Clark, Christopher S. Martin, Tammy Chung, et al.
Date: 06/2017
Type: Document
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Preparing Physicians for Rural-Based Primary Care Practice: A Preliminary Evaluation of Rural Training Initiatives at OSU-COM
Case study discussing a rural physician training program created by the Oklahoma State University Health Sciences Center College of Osteopathic Medicine (OSU-COM) in 2011 to address primary care physician shortages and rural healthcare access issues in Oklahoma. Describes the program's methodology, curriculum, and academic performance outcomes. Offers data on student demographics, GPA comparison of program participants to other OSU-COM medical students, and maps depicting residency and clinical training sites across Oklahoma.
Author(s): Denna L. Wheeler and Jeffrey B. Hackler
Citation: The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, 117, 315-324
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
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Track: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Digital Health Obesity Treatment Intervention for Medically Vulnerable Primary Care Patients
Examines the effectiveness of Track, a digital health intervention, to provide obesity treatment to low-income, racial/ethnic minority adults with obesity and related comorbidities in rural North Carolina. Includes baseline characteristic data, such as gender, race/ethnicity, education, smoking status, and diagnosis.
Author(s): Perry Foley, Dori Steinberg, Erica Levine, et al.
Citation: Contemporary Clinical Trials, 48, 12-20
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
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Physician Workforce: Locations and Types of Graduate Training Were Largely Unchanged, and Federal Efforts May Not Be Sufficient to Meet Needs
Describes change in numbers of graduate medical education (GME) residents in training from 2005-2015, with breakdowns by location and type of training, and federal efforts to increase this training in rural areas and in primary care.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Projecting Demand for the Services of Primary Care Doctors
Estimates the expected growth in demand for primary care medical services in the U.S. between 2013 and 2023. Projections are based on an analysis of historical trends between 2003 and 2013, and factor in the following variables: population growth, population age, health insurance coverage status, and other sources of growth in volume and intensity. Examines legislative and non-legislative ways to increase the supply of primary care services, including in rural areas and facilities.
Author(s): Noelia Duchovny, Sam Trachtman, Ellen Werble
Date: 05/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Budget Office
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A Multicomponent Quality Improvement Intervention to Improve Blood Pressure and Reduce Racial Disparities in Rural Primary Care Practices
Assesses the effectiveness of a multicomponent practice-based quality improvement (QI) intervention to lower blood pressure of patients with uncontrolled hypertension and to determine if there would be a variation of effectiveness by race. Participants in the project included 525 adults with hypertension, providers and staff of which nearly 70% were African American. The study took place at primary care practices located in Lenoir County, an economically distressed county in Eastern North Carolina.
Author(s): Crystal W. Cené, Jacqueline R. Halladay, Ziya Gizlice, et al.
Citation: Journal of Clinical Hypertension, 19(4), 351-360
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
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The Influence of the Degree of Rurality on EMR Adoption, by Physician Specialty
Study examining the adoption of electronic medical record (EMR) technology based on degree of rurality using Rural-Urban Continuum Codes. Analyzes 2012 data from over 270,000 physician practices on rates of EMR technology adoption and provider specializations. Presents data based on average daily patient volume and type of provider, including nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
Author(s): Brian E. Whitacre
Citation: Health Services Research, 52(2), 616-633
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
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Preparing Family Physicians to Care for Underserved Populations: A Historical Perspective
Overview of family medicine residency models geared toward practice in rural and underserved urban areas. Also includes examination of behavioral science training and programs for the care of people with HIV and AIDS.
Author(s): Denise V. Rodgers, Andrea L. Wendling, George W. Saba, Megan Ruth Mahoney, Joedrecka S. Brown Speights
Citation: Family Medicine, 49(4), 304-310
Date: 04/2017
Type: Document
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The Association of Health Literacy and Blood Pressure Reduction in a Cohort of Patients with Hypertension: The Heart Healthy Lenoir Trial
Analyzes the impact of a multi-level quality improvement (QI) intervention, the Heart Healthy Lenoir (HHL) Study, with a focus on health literacy to improve systolic blood pressure (SBP) control in patients being treated in rural primary clinics of Eastern North Carolina. Discusses the components of the health literacy practice and patient level activities of the QI intervention. Offers a detailed table identifying the change in SBP by literacy level.
Author(s): Jacqueline R. Halladay, Katrina E. Donahue, Crystal W. Cené, et al.
Citation: Patient Education and Counseling, 100(3), 542-549
Date: 03/2017
Type: Document
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