Rural Health
Research Gateway

North Dakota and NORC Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center

Research Products & Journal Articles

Browse the full list of research publications from this Rural Health Research Center.

Products – Freely accessible products include policy briefs, fact sheets, full reports, chartbooks, and interactive data websites.

Journal Articles – Articles in peer-reviewed journals may require a subscription or affiliation with a subscribing library. For these publications, Gateway lists the article citation, a brief summary, a link to additional information and access to the full-text of the article, if available.

  • The 2014 Update of the Rural-Urban Chartbook
    Chartbook
    Date: 10/2014
    This chartbook includes trends and disparities in urban/rural health. Reports on population characteristics include age, race and ethnicity, and poverty; risk factors such as smoking, alcohol use, and obesity; mortality data; health status measures such as adolescent births and total tooth loss; healthcare access/use; and mental health measures.
  • Exploring Rural and Urban Mortality Differences
    Date: 03/2016
    Contains visual aids which display indicators of mortality rates by cause of death, age group, rural-urban status, region, and sex for populations 15 years of age and older cross-referenced to tables and statistical results.
  • Home Is Where the Heart Is: Insights on the Coordination and Delivery of Home Health Services in Rural America
    Policy Brief
    Date: 08/2017
    Access to home health in rural areas is an important public policy concern, particularly with the growing number of older adults residing in rural America. This qualitative study seeks to better understand how home health services are provided in rural areas, and identifies facilitators and barriers to providing care.
  • Hospice Workforce: An Annotated Review of the Literature
    Date: 11/2013
    This report contains an annotated review of hospice workforce literature published between 2000 and 2013. The review was completed to help identify hospice provider types for a hospice workforce study to be completed by the Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center.
  • Identifying Variability in Patient Characteristics and Prevalence of Emergency Department Utilization for Mental Health Diagnoses in Rural and Urban Communities
    Journal Article
    Date: 10/2017
    Patients needing behavioral healthcare can get more appropriate, cost-effective treatment if they are redirected from emergency departments (EDs). This study examined whether a larger proportion of rural versus urban patients went to went to EDs.
  • Perspectives of Rural Hospice Directors
    Policy Brief
    Date: 03/2015
    Rural hospice care is under pressure by a variety of factors that are reviewed in this document. However, a central core element of rural hospice remains the strong sense of community that is embodied in the system and design of care. This policy brief is the result of a national phone survey of rural hospice directors or key staff in 47 states.
  • Rural and Urban Utilization of the Emergency Department for Mental Health and Substance Abuse
    Policy Brief
    Date: 06/2017
    Utilizes data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's (HCUP's) State Emergency Department Databases (SEDD) for seven states. Researchers explore, and describe in this brief, the use of the Emergency Department for mental health and substance abuse among Urban, Large Rural, Small Rural, and Isolated Small Rural residents.
  • Rural Hospice in the United States: A Review of the Literature
    Date: 10/2013
    This review explores the current environment of rural hospice care in the United States. It provides a discussion of the current structure of hospice services as well as a formal review of current (2000-2013) rural research on the topic.
  • Rural Hospice in the United States: An Annotated Review of the Literature
    Date: 10/2013
    This report provides an annotated review of hospice literature published between 2000 and 2013, including resources that have addressed rural hospice care, access, and utilization. The information begins with an overview of hospice organizations and agencies cited most frequently, along with a discussion of their most recent research.
  • Rural-Urban Disparities in Heart Disease
    Policy Brief
    Date: 10/2014
    The Department of Health and Human Services' report Health, United States, 2001: With Urban and Rural Health Chartbook illustrated trends and highlighted priorities in urban/rural health. The Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center replicated the analyses using the most recent data available. This brief highlights key heart disease findings.
  • Use and Performance Variations in U.S. Rural Emergency Departments: Implications for Improving Care Quality and Reducing Costs
    Policy Brief
    Date: 02/2015
    This brief describes the variation in emergency department use for non-emergent health conditions across rural and urban areas as well as by U.S. Census regions. Potential risk factors, including patients' socioeconomic characteristics and levels of primary care resources, are identified. Quality of care indicators are also addressed.
  • Use of the Emergency Department for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Among Women
    Fact Sheet
    Date: 07/2017
    This study identifies trends among women in rural and urban communities who utilize the emergency department for mental health and substance abuse. The information can be used to help communities provide more relevant, appropriate, and less costly care.