Conducting Rural Health Research, Needs Assessments, and Program Evaluations – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Conducting Rural Health Research, Needs Assessments, and Program Evaluations.
Community Health Needs Assessment Toolkit
Designed to help rural hospitals conduct a community health needs assessment, which is a requirement for all 501(c)(3) hospitals.
Author(s): Gerald A. Doeksen, Cheryl F. St. Clair
Date: 05/2012
Sponsoring organizations: National Center for Rural Health Works, Oklahoma Office of Rural Health
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Designed to help rural hospitals conduct a community health needs assessment, which is a requirement for all 501(c)(3) hospitals.
Author(s): Gerald A. Doeksen, Cheryl F. St. Clair
Date: 05/2012
Sponsoring organizations: National Center for Rural Health Works, Oklahoma Office of Rural Health
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Best Practices for Community Health Needs Assessment and Implementation Strategy Development: A Review of Scientific Methods, Current Practices, and Future Potential
Discusses how public health and non-profit hospitals can work together to assess community health and plan for improvement. Addresses reasons rural hospitals and public health can benefit from working together. Based on a July 2011 public forum convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Author(s): Kevin Barnett
Date: 02/2012
Sponsoring organization: Public Health Institute
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Discusses how public health and non-profit hospitals can work together to assess community health and plan for improvement. Addresses reasons rural hospitals and public health can benefit from working together. Based on a July 2011 public forum convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Author(s): Kevin Barnett
Date: 02/2012
Sponsoring organization: Public Health Institute
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Contextualizing CBPR: Key Principles of CBPR Meet the Indigenous Research Context
Examines the literature related to community-based participatory research in tribal communities. Covers the key principles of CBPR in the context of tribal research and also identifies additional considerations.
Author(s): Deborah LaVeaux, Suzanne Christopher
Citation: Pimatisiwin: A Journal of Aboriginal and Indigenous Community Health, 7(1)
Date: 06/2009
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Examines the literature related to community-based participatory research in tribal communities. Covers the key principles of CBPR in the context of tribal research and also identifies additional considerations.
Author(s): Deborah LaVeaux, Suzanne Christopher
Citation: Pimatisiwin: A Journal of Aboriginal and Indigenous Community Health, 7(1)
Date: 06/2009
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Rural Issues Related to Comparative Effectiveness Research and Dissemination
Describes strategies for expanding clinical research in rural environments; implementing practice guidelines in rural settings; and improving access to current evidence-based information for rural health professionals and patients.
Author(s): Ira Moscovice, Michelle Casey
Date: 06/2009
Sponsoring organization: Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
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Describes strategies for expanding clinical research in rural environments; implementing practice guidelines in rural settings; and improving access to current evidence-based information for rural health professionals and patients.
Author(s): Ira Moscovice, Michelle Casey
Date: 06/2009
Sponsoring organization: Upper Midwest Rural Health Research Center
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Evaluating a Community-Based Participatory Research Project for Elderly Mental Healthcare in Rural America
Reports on the levels of collaboration present among stakeholders for different aspects of a rural mental health research project that used a participatory approach.
Author(s): Dean Blevins, Bridget Morton, Rene McGovern
Citation: Clinical Interventions in Aging, 3(3), 535-545
Date: 09/2008
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Reports on the levels of collaboration present among stakeholders for different aspects of a rural mental health research project that used a participatory approach.
Author(s): Dean Blevins, Bridget Morton, Rene McGovern
Citation: Clinical Interventions in Aging, 3(3), 535-545
Date: 09/2008
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Bridging Rural Health Research and Policy: Dissemination Strategies
Describes five strategies for effective dissemination and expanded use of rural health services research and discusses the infrastructure needed to enhance rural health research dissemination.
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller, Timothy D. McBride, Andrew F. Coburn, et al.
Date: 08/2007
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Describes five strategies for effective dissemination and expanded use of rural health services research and discusses the infrastructure needed to enhance rural health research dissemination.
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller, Timothy D. McBride, Andrew F. Coburn, et al.
Date: 08/2007
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Rural Definitions for Health Policy and Research
Compares several rural definitions and discusses their strengths and weaknesses. Also addresses the issues related to using these geographic definitions in policy and research.
Author(s): L. Gary Hart, Eric H. Larson, Denise M. Lishner
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 95(7), 1149-1152
Date: 07/2005
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Compares several rural definitions and discusses their strengths and weaknesses. Also addresses the issues related to using these geographic definitions in policy and research.
Author(s): L. Gary Hart, Eric H. Larson, Denise M. Lishner
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 95(7), 1149-1152
Date: 07/2005
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Growing and Sustaining Community Partnerships: A Use Case
Offers 2 case studies from West Virginia on community partnerships to support community-engaged research. Case studies discuss emergency response efforts and a community ambassador program. Includes 2 toolkits on working with the community and partner compensation for successful community-based participatory research projects.
Sponsoring organization: National Institutes of Health Community Engagement Alliance
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Offers 2 case studies from West Virginia on community partnerships to support community-engaged research. Case studies discuss emergency response efforts and a community ambassador program. Includes 2 toolkits on working with the community and partner compensation for successful community-based participatory research projects.
Sponsoring organization: National Institutes of Health Community Engagement Alliance
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Assessment for Advancing Community Transformation Tool
Provides guidance and resources to help community-based teams and individuals identify focal areas for health transformation based on 6 key themes and 22 subthemes using a score-based assessment method.
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Health Policy Center
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Provides guidance and resources to help community-based teams and individuals identify focal areas for health transformation based on 6 key themes and 22 subthemes using a score-based assessment method.
Sponsoring organization: Georgia Health Policy Center
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Data for Rural Analysis
A collection of resources to help policymakers and researchers identify and describe rural and urban areas. Lists tools that can be used to determine rural status and degree of rurality and find county-level socioeconomic data. Also identifies other sources of rural data.
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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A collection of resources to help policymakers and researchers identify and describe rural and urban areas. Lists tools that can be used to determine rural status and degree of rurality and find county-level socioeconomic data. Also identifies other sources of rural data.
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for:
- Evaluation methods and resources
- Needs assessment methods and resources
- Research methods and resources
Last Updated: 9/5/2025