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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Research methods and resources

How Does the Definition of "Rural" Impact Research?
Webinar examining research from the Rural Health Research Centers, highlighting the importance of rural definitions and how those definitions impact research. Offers advice for what researchers should take into account when determining rural definitions for a study, and what non-researchers should look for in rural definitions when reading a study or brief.
Additional links: Slide Deck, Transcript
Author(s): Janice Probst, George Pink
Date: 11/2023
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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Study Protocol: Maintaining Preventive Care During Public Health Emergencies Through Effective Coordination
Presents a qualitative study protocol that examines screening rates at VA medical centers during COVID-19 to determine strategies that provide continued care during public health emergencies. Discusses selection of sites, which will be based on rurality, COVID-19 patient caseload, and performance related to cancer and mental health screenings. Highlights the importance of care coordination teams in regard to specialty care.
Author(s): Sylvia J. Hysong, Traber Davis Giardina, Jennifer Freytag, et al.
Citation: Implementation Science Communications, 4, 150
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
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Bridging the Rural–Urban Health-Care Divide Through Community Research Partnerships
Highlights a health equity program that partners researchers with a remote indigenous community. Discusses the Siamit program in a remote, predominately Iñupiat, region of Alaska that partners with Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital working to advance health equity.
Author(s): Lucas Trout, Margaret Smith, Linda Joule, Stuart Harris
Citation: Nature
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
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Methods Applying AHRQ Quality Indicators to Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Data for the 2023 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report (NHQDR)
Describes the preparation of Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) data for use in the 2023 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report, which includes information on priority populations such as rural residents. Includes information on HCUP-based measures that include data by urban-rural location.
Author(s): M. Barrett, R. Benevent, M. Sheng, et al.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Fiscal Year 2023 Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Investments: Fact Sheet
Provides an overview of Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) grant programs in Fiscal Year 2023. Summarizes and briefly describes funding awarded to address rural behavioral health, expand the rural health workforce, support rural hospitals, increase access to care, and support rural health research.
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Identifying a Consensus Set of EMS Agency Licensure Elements and Definitions to Support Rural EMS Data Collection
Discusses gaps in data on rural emergency medical service (EMS) agencies and systems of care. Summarizes findings from a review of state EMS agency licensing applications and discussions from a panel of rural EMS experts. Identifies a consensus set of core EMS licensure elements and definitions for consideration by state EMS authorities in order to enhance licensure application processes and align data collection efforts with other states.
Author(s): John Gale, Celia Jewell, Karen Pearson
Date: 11/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Data Element Identification and Data Collection Procedures for the HRSA Direct-to-Consumer Evidence Based Telehealth Network Program
Provides an overview of the development of a common set of data elements to evaluate the Office of the Advancement of Teleheath's Evidence Based Telehealth Network Program, which aims to build an evidence base for telehealth in rural settings. Outlines 27 patient-level, encounter-level, and outcome data elements on patients who receive direct-to-consumer telehealth services and a comparable group of patients who receive in-person services. Describes data collection and management procedures.
Author(s): Marcia M. Ward, Kimberly Merchant, Fred Ullrich, et al.
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Telehealth Research Center
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A Formal Framework For Incorporating Equity Into Health Care Quality Measurement
Describes equity weighting, a measurement used to address population health disparities by examining multiple demographic factors that then interpret healthcare quality for specific population groups. Utilizes 2017 Medicare colorectal cancer screening data to show examples of equity weighting, with demographics broken down by patient race and rurality.
Author(s): Denis Agniel, Irineo Cabreros, Cheryl L. Damberg, Marc N. Elliott, Rhianna Rogers
Citation: Health Affairs, 42(10)
Date: 10/2023
Type: Document
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Cross-Cultural Understanding and Cultural Humility: Training for Early Childhood Researchers Working with American Indian and Alaska Native Communities
Training materials to help early childhood research staff develop the skills needed to work respectfully with American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities as partners in ethical research. Includes facilitator materials, training modules, and handouts.
Date: 10/2023
Type: Tutorial/Training
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
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2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) Methodological Resource Book
Report details the data collection practices and methodology to conduct the Nation Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) for 2022. Highlights data collection information for large, small, and nonmetropolitan areas.
Date: 08/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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