Conducting Rural Health Research, Needs Assessments, and Program Evaluations – Resources

A Standard Framework for Evaluating Large Health Care Data and Related Resources
Identifies a set of actions, criteria, and tools that can be used in evaluating large healthcare data and related resources. Includes information on evaluating data coverage and representativeness, including the availability of information on rural or urban location.
Author(s): Suad El Burai Felix, Hussain Yusuf, Matthew Ritchey, et al.
Citation: MMWR Supplements, 73(Suppl. 3), 1-13
Date: 05/2024
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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RE-AIM For Rural Health Innovations: Perceptions of (Mis) Alignment Between the RE-AIM Framework and Evaluation Reporting in the Department of Veterans Affairs Enterprise-Wide Initiatives Program
Interviewed 48 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Rural Health's (ORH) Enterprise-Wide Initiatives (EWI) team members on perceptions of, as well as barriers and facilitators to, implementation of the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) method of evaluation. Discusses the benefits and challenges of implementing a shared framework across diverse initiatives.
Author(s): Emily E. Chasco, Jennifer Van Tiem, Nicole Johnson, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Health Services, 4, 1278209
Date: 04/2024
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Evaluation of Respondent-Driven Sampling in Seven Studies of People Who Use Drugs from Rural Populations: Findings from the Rural Opioid Initiative
Examines the efficacy of respondent-driven sampling (RDS) to recruit people who use drugs (PWUD) in rural populations. Analyzes 7 Rural Opioid Initiative studies that occurred between 2018-2020 and performs statistical analyses to observe RDS-generated validity in population-level prevalence estimates.
Author(s): Abby E. Rudolph, Robin M. Nance, Georgiy Bobashev, et al.
Citation: BMC Medical Research Methodology, 24, 94
Date: 04/2024
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A Strategy To Support Perinatal Mental Health By Collaborating With Tribal Communities In Montana
Describes a community-based participatory approach with Montana tribal communities to create an online guide of mental health resources for prenatal to age three populations. Discusses the outcomes of collaboration, the Two-Eyed Seeing approach for health promotion, and opportunities for including cultural knowledge and values in future health promotion work.
Author(s): Amy Stiffarm, Stephanie Morton, Dawn Gunderson, et al.
Citation: Health Affairs, 43(4)
Date: 04/2024
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Reaching the Unheard: Overcoming Challenges in Health Research with Hard-to-Reach Populations
Analyzes strategies to engage hard-to-reach populations in health research. Discusses two case studies focused on specific issues in health research: breast cancer screening among rural and urban Mexican women in Illinois and mental health needs of Afghan refugees in Oklahoma. Provides reflection on issues such as cultural competency, language used in research, cultural identity and representation of research staff, choosing appropriate research sites, and more.
Author(s): Venera Bekteshi, Munjireen Sifat, Darla E. Kendzor
Citation: International Journal for Equity in Health, 23, 61
Date: 03/2024
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Evaluating Telehealth Services
Webinar recording offering an overview of the evaluating telehealth services process in the domains of access, logistics, experience, effectiveness, and equity using the Rural Telehealth and Healthcare System Readiness Measurement Framework from the National Quality Forum. Includes resources for facilities wanting to implement telehealth services in Oklahoma and nationally. Transcript included in video description.
Date: 02/2024
Sponsoring organizations: Heartland Telehealth Resource Center, Oklahoma State University Center for Rural Health
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Sharing Your Success: Using Photovoice to Document and Communicate the Impact of Independent Living Services
Offers step by step guidelines and best practices for using Photovoice to share impact of a project or service. Includes relevant example release forms, tools, and links to rural example projects.
Author(s): Lillie Greiman, Rayna Sage
Date: 01/2024
Sponsoring organization: University of Montana: Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities
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Digital Health Interventions for All? Examining Inclusivity Across All Stages of the Digital Health Intervention Research Process
Discusses the benefits of digital health interventions as well as the digital health divide that creates barriers to inclusive research processes. Highlights study design interventions during the recruitment, enrollment, engagement, efficacy/effectiveness, and retention stages that can contribute to inclusivity for underserved populations, including rural.
Author(s): Rebecca A. Krukowski, Kathryn M. Ross, Max J. Western, et al.
Citation: Trials, 25, 98
Date: 01/2024
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Empowering Change: Promoting and Expanding Evidence-Based Programs in Rural Communities: A Toolkit for Community-Based Organizations
Toolkit identifying strategies to plan, implement, and sustain evidence-based health promotion programs in rural areas with a focus on the needs of older adults. Highlights partnerships, transportation, technology, and marketing and outreach for their ability to successfully impact health promotion programs.
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: National Council on Aging
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Recruitment in Appalachian, Rural and Older Adult Populations in an Artificial Intelligence World: Study Using Human-Mediated Follow-Up
Evaluates the effectiveness of a research study recruitment strategy using multiple contact methods for the rural, older adult population in Appalachian Pennsylvania. Includes rural and urban comparisons within Appalachian Pennsylvania and discusses common barriers to research participation for this group.
Author(s): Tabitha Milliken, Donielle Beiler, Samantha Hoffman, Ashlee Olenginski, Vanessa Troiani
Citation: JMIR Formative Research, 8(2024), 38189
Date: 2024
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