ArticleBMC health services research2013
Community participation in rural health: a scoping review.
Article in BMC health services research, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 61 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
61 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Oral Health Interventions to Improve Access in Rural Areas of High-Income Countries: A Mixed Methods Systematic Review.Community dentistry and oral epidemiology · 2026Pooled it
- Mixed methods systematic review of consumer engagement in rural health practice, research, and education.Health promotion international · 2025Pooled it
- Community Engagement in Vaccination Promotion: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2024Pooled it
- Community health workers at the dawn of a new era: 6. Recruitment, training, and continuing education.Health research policy and systems · 2021Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Adult Community Perspectives on Improving Rural Youth Access to Mental Health Services: A Participatory Group Concept Mapping Study.The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association · 2026Article
- Reconsidering Governance Models to Strengthen Rural Healthcare.Journal of bioethical inquiry · 2026Article
- Inclusiveness of social participation for health reform: findings from a realist review.International journal for equity in health · 2026Review
- Citizen-Led Integrated Care in Rural Depopulation Areas: Addressing Depression and Frailty in Older Adults.Annals of geriatric medicine and research · 2026Article
- Living lab approaches in rural healthcare: a scoping review.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Appalachian Home- and Community- Based Services for People Affected by Dementia.Online journal of rural nursing and health care : the official journal of the Rural Nurse Organization · 2026Article
- Towards equitable cancer outcomes for rural and remote communities: reflections, lessons and recommendations.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2026Review
- To stay or leave: an integrative review of factors, personas, and recommendations for retaining family physicians in Canada.BMC primary care · 2025Review
- Article
- The relationship between Sense of Community and perceived service quality: rethinking the role of local communities in sustaining rural health and social care.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Review
- Engaging community groups to enhance healthcare access for persons with disabilities in rural Uganda: A qualitative exploration.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Perceptions of health and healthcare needs in low-resource settings: qualitative insights from Bengaluru's urban slum and rural areas.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Community health resource project: highlighting One Health resources across rural Georgia to build healthier communities.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Social participation in health - case studies from primary health care in Kosovo.BMC public health · 2024Article
1 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMajor health inequities between urban and rural populations have resulted in rural health as a reform priority across a number of countries. However, while there is some commonality between rural areas, there is increasing recognition that a one size fits all approach to rural health is ineffective as it fails to align healthcare with local population need. Community participation is proposed as a strategy to engage communities in developing locally responsive healthcare. Current policy in several countries reflects a desire for meaningful, high level community participation, similar to Arnstein's definition of citizen power. There is a significant gap in understanding how higher level community participation is best enacted in the rural context. The aim of our study was to identify examples, in the international literature, of higher level community participation in rural healthcare.
methodsA scoping review was designed to map the existing evidence base on higher level community participation in rural healthcare planning, design, management and evaluation. Key search terms were developed and mapped. Selected databases and internet search engines were used that identified 99 relevant studies.
resultsWe identified six articles that most closely demonstrated higher level community participation; Arnstein's notion of citizen power. While the identified studies reflected key elements for effective higher level participation, little detail was provided about how groups were established and how the community was represented. The need for strong partnerships was reiterated, with some studies identifying the impact of relational interactions and social ties. In all studies, outcomes from community participation were not rigorously measured.
conclusionsIn an environment characterised by increasing interest in community participation in healthcare, greater understanding of the purpose, process and outcomes is a priority for research, policy and practice.
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Registered trials
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