Health care in the United States is facing a crisis in providing access to quality care for those in underserved and rural regions. Advanced practice nurses are at the forefront of addressing such issues, through modalities such as health care technology. Many nursing education programs are seeking strategies for better educating students on technology utilization. Health care technology includ...

Considering conflicting reports on the success efficacy of health services, this study was carried out to determine the sty le of utilization of health and treatment services in health centers of rural areas in 1996. The descriptive and cross-sectional strategy of this research study was performed in health centers of 11 provinces and their villages were classified into high, intermediate, and...

The recent closure of rural health services in many developed countries has been a natural experiment as health planners strategically adopt regionalized systems of care to combat staggering healthcare system costs. Regionalization is predicated on offering health services in selected discrete locations (‘referral centers’) as opposed to in every local community of reasonable size. Where comple...

INTRODUCTION China's New Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS) was brought to life in 2003 in response to the deterioration in access to health services in rural areas. Despite its fast expansion, the scheme's impacts on access to health care have raised growing concerns, in particular regarding whether and to what extent the scheme has reduced inequity in access to health care in rural China. ME...

Quality health care systems are important to a community’s health interests, but they also play an important role in a community’s economic vitality. This paper reviews some contemporary challenges facing rural health care systems due to changes in the health care industry, the health insurance industry, the national economy, and reforms of social benefit programs. Using Preston County, West Vi...

Background: The aim of this study was to suggest a suitable context to develop efficient hospital systems while maintaining the quality of care at minimum expenditures. Methods: This research aimed to present a model of efficiency for selected public and private hospitals of East Azerbaijani Province of Iran by making use of Data Envelopment Analysis approach in order to recognize and suggest t...

Objective The objective of the study was to explore whether and how rural culture influences type II diabetes management and to better understand the social processes that rural people construct in coping with diabetes and its complications. In particular, the study aimed to analyse the interface and interactions between rural people with type II diabetes and the Australian health care system, ...

In an effort to increase the accessibility and comprehensiveness of care for rural Veterans with HIV, the VA Office of Rural Health (ORH) funded a pilot telehealth collaborative care program that was developed and tested by the Veterans Rural Health Resource Center-Iowa City. Telehealth collaboration can put fragmented networks of primary and specialty care providers in touch. Clinical video te...

Integrated primary care is particularly valuable to rural communities. Behavioral health care is often in short supply, and small or close-knit communities can intensify the stigma of seeking specialty mental health in rural settings. These and other barriers result in reduced access to needed behavioral health care. Nonetheless, rural practice of integrated primary care presents unique challen...

Preconceptions of rural lifestyle and culture can color the perspective of future health care providers. To encourage Advanced Practice Nurse (ANP) students to think beyond the mythology about a rural place different than where they practice, two nurse educators and universities teamed up to develop a unique curriculum in which students immersed themselves in a new rural experience. In this inn...