Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Rural-urban differences

Hospital Emergency Departments: Crowding Continues to Occur, and Some Patients Wait Longer than Recommended Time Frames
Provides detailed statistics on wait times in emergency departments. Includes comparison of metropolitan and nonmetropolitan emergency departments.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details
Private Health Insurance in Rural Areas: Challenges and Opportunities
Examines health insurance coverage by rural/urban residence. Discusses differences in premiums and benefits, and identifies policy options to increase rural private health insurance coverage.
Author(s): Erika C. Ziller, Andrew F. Coburn
Date: 04/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
view details
The Crisis in Rural Dentistry
Discusses the need for intensified recruitment efforts to increase dental access and improve oral health in rural areas. Includes data on the supply of generalist dentists in rural areas. Proposes potential solutions that may increase the rural oral health care workforce.
Author(s): Mark P. Doescher, Gina A. Keppel, Susan M. Skillman, Roger A. Rosenblatt
Date: 04/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
view details
Threats to the Future Supply of Rural Registered Nurses
Explains how the shortages of registered nurses (RNs) in rural areas may grow as the "baby boom" generation retires and as RNs commute to larger towns and urban areas for work. Presents potential solutions to this foreseen shortage problem.
Date: 04/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
view details
The Crisis in Rural General Surgery
Describes issues rural general surgeons face and why maintaining their supply is important in meeting the needs of the aging rural population.
Date: 04/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
view details
The Crisis in Rural Primary Care
Describes issues facing primary healthcare in rural America including: a declining number of students choosing this career path, low compensation rates, rising malpractice premiums, professional isolation, limited time off, and the scarcity of jobs for spouses.
Date: 04/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
view details
Demographic, Education, and Practice Characteristics of Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners in Washington State: Results of a 2008 Survey
Describes the background and practice characteristics of advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs) who live and practice in rural and urban Washington state in 2009.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): Susan M. Skillman, C. Holly A. Andrilla, Louise Kaplan, Marie-Annette Brown
Date: 04/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: UW Center for Health Workforce Studies
view details
Rural Coverage Gaps Decline Following Public Health Insurance Expansions
Assesses how uninsured rates and sources of coverage have changed since the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) was enacted. Compares the health insurance coverage of rural and urban residents in 1997 and 2005. Discusses implications for health insurance reform.
Author(s): Ericka Ziller, Andrew Coburn
Date: 02/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
view details
Rural Children Don't Receive the Mental Health Care They Need
Examines rural/urban differences in the use of children's mental health services, focusing on how family income, health insurance coverage, and mental health status affect these differences. Attempts to identify the mental health needs of children ages 6 to 17, the percentage of children with an identified mental health need that utilized a mental health service in the past year, and the role of family income and health insurance in determining the use of mental health services by children.
Author(s): David Lambert, Erika C. Ziller, Jennifer D. Lenardson
Date: 01/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
view details
Strategies for Suicide Prevention in Veterans
Presents research that explores various veteran suicide prevention strategies and how promising they might be. Strategies include programs for outreach, counseling, and treatment coordination. Addresses the difference in suicide prevalence among veterans in rural and urban areas.
Author(s): Paul Shekelle, Steven Bagley, Brett Munjas
Date: 01/2009
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: VA Health Services Research & Development Service
view details