Research indicates that rural residents use the emergency department (ED) at higher rates than their urban counterparts, with recent analyses indicating that this rural-urban difference has been increasing. Additional studies suggest that rural residents are more likely to visit the ED for a non-emergent reasons. However, the reasons for these higher rates remain unclear. This difference could be the result of rural primary care access barriers, including availability of after-hours care, or could be related to lower education or other factors affecting knowledge of appropriate healthcare use.

This study used the 2014-2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to analyze the factors associated with rural versus urban residents' non-emergent ED use.

Publications

• Non-Urgent Use of Emergency Departments by Rural and Urban Adults
  Policy Brief
  Maine Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 04/2024
  This study provides updated information and addresses gaps in knowledge about rural non-urgent emergency department (ED) use. Understanding the rates of non-urgent ED use among rural adults and the factors associated with this use can inform policy and practice efforts to reduce inappropriate use of EDs in rural communities.
• Rural-Urban Differences in Workers' Access to Paid Sick Leave
  Journal Article
  Maine Rural Health Research Center
  Date: 02/2023
  The authors analyzed the prevalence of paid sick leave (PSL) among rural versus urban workers and found that rural workers had lower access to PSL than urban workers, even after adjusting for worker and employment characteristics, especially those who were Hispanic, lacked employer-sponsored insurance, and reported poorer health status.