Research Alert: February 23, 2018

Rural Family Physicians Have a Broader Scope of Practice Than Urban Family Physicians

The objective of this research was to determine differences in scope of practice and procedural care between rural and urban family physicians. We found significant variation in scope of practice between urban and rural family physicians. Rural family physicians were more likely to provide obstetrical deliveries, newborn care, pediatric care, occupational medicine, palliative care, and mental health care than urban family physicians. They were also more likely to see patients in the hospital and nursing home and to conduct home visits. The percentage of family physicians providing these services was greater with increasing rurality.

Rural family physicians generally have a broader scope of practice than urban family physicians, and the scope of practice expands with increasing rurality. Despite prior research that the scope of practice of family physicians has been shrinking, we found that rural family physicians are maintaining a broad scope of practice, which is likely necessary in rural areas where there are fewer options to access more specialized medical services.

Additional Resources of Interest:

• More information about the Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
• More information from the Rural Health Information Hub's topic guides: Healthcare Access, Healthcare Quality, Healthcare Workforce, Public Health Agencies, Rural Health Clinics, Rural Health Disparities, Rural Health Policy