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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Technology for health and human services

Future Directions for Rural Population Research: Findings from RPRN's Listening Sessions
Summarizes 5 listening sessions with rural development practitioners aiming to identify areas of research need by rural population researchers. Discusses trends in agriculture and food systems, community and economic development, the environment and natural resources, and health, healthcare, and disability services. Offers recommendations related to information sharing, community involvement in research, data gathering, and best practices and evaluation.
Author(s): Kristina Brant, Paige, Kelly, Danielle Rhubart, et al.
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Population Research Network
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Rural America at a Glance: 2024 Edition
Provides an overview of social and economic factors affecting rural America, with a focus on population migration, poverty, child care and elder care, broadband, and employment. Includes county-level maps as well as metro and nonmetro comparisons.
Author(s): Tracey Farrigan, Brandon Genetin, Austin Sanders, et al.
Date: 11/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Technology Innovation Supporting Access to Rural Health and Human Services: Possibilities and Encouraging Further Investments
Describes the potential of technological innovation to improve access to rural healthcare and human services and the challenges of attracting new technology to rural and tribal areas. Summarizes themes and policy considerations that emerged from the April 2024 meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Health and Human Services on this topic. Offers policy recommendations to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services related to supporting technological innovation and solutions for rural health.
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services, Rural Policy Research Institute
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CAH Perspectives on Collection and Use of Demographic and Social Drivers of Health Data
Describes how collecting information about social drivers of health (SDOH) can help hospitals inform treatment and discharge planning decisions and identify local health disparities. Summarizes findings from interviews with nine Critical Access Hospital (CAH) staff regarding their experiences collecting demographic and SDOH data. Highlights themes related to challenges CAH staff face in collecting this data and how CAHs utilize the data they collect.
Author(s): Madeleine Pick, Carson Crane, Megan Lahr
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Increasing Digital Equity to Promote Online Smoking Cessation Program Engagement among Rural Adults: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial
Evaluates 3 digital access interventions for a smoking cessation program among 90 rural adults. Discusses trial engagement among the 3 intervention types, smoking cessation-related outcomes, and patient experience.
Author(s): Sydney Kelpin, Tabetha A. Brockman, Paul A. Decker, et al.
Citation: Communications Medicine, 4, 194
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
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How is Digital Health Suitability Measured for Communities? A Systematic Review
Provides a systemic review of how digital health suitability is measured to determine if communities can access digital health services. Provides descriptions of various community, ecological, and social vulnerability indices and their ability to measure digital health suitability. Includes discussion about how rurality impacts digital health equity.
Author(s): John Geracitano, Luke Barron, David McSwain, Saif Khairat
Citation: Digital Health, 10
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
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2024-2030 Federal Health IT Strategic Plan
A guide for federal health information technology (HIT) activities. Outlines four goals and related objectives focused on promoting health and wellness, enhancing the delivery and experience of care, and accelerating research and innovation. Describes how the federal government will use the plan to prioritize resources within federal agencies, align and coordinate federal HIT initiatives, signal priorities to the private sector, and benchmark and assess the progress of federal HIT initiatives.
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
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Designing Survey-Based Mobile Interfaces for Rural Patients With Cancer Using Apple's ResearchKit and CareKit: Usability Study
Examines the usability of mobile health (mHealth) interfaces for patients with cancer in rural settings, utilizing a survey of 30 current or postsurgery patients. Provides data on app use habits, familiarity with mHealth, and responses to specific mobile user interfaces. Discusses approaches to facilitating mHealth access among patients with limited digital literacy.
Author(s): Alyssa Donawa, Christian Powell, Rong Wang, et al.
Citation: JMIR Formative Research, 8, e57801
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
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Beyond Connectivity: The Role of Broadband in Rural Economic Growth and Resilience
Reports on the economic value of broadband infrastructure for rural areas. Provides a variety of data on broadband and economic growth in rural communities and compares rural and urban gaps in broadband access. Features a broadband development case study for Beltrami County, Minnesota, which includes discussion of broadband's value for telehealth and other aspects of healthcare delivery and availability.
Author(s): Amanda Weinstein, May Erouart, Adam Dewbury
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center on Rural Innovation
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Center on Rural Innovation 2023 Impact Report
Annual report on the achievements of the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI) in 2023. Discusses completed and continuing programs, advocacy, and investments for rural community development, infrastructure, broadband, data access and usability, and more.
Date: 09/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center on Rural Innovation
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