ArticlePharmacy practice
Self-reported vs RUCA rural-urban classification among North Carolina pharmacists.
Article in Pharmacy practice. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Redefining rurality: adopting an identity-based and community-engaged approach to defining rural cancer disparities.Journal of the National Cancer Institute · 2026Article
- What is rural? Examining the relationship between human populations and their inter-connectedness in the context of communicable disease transmission.International journal of health geographics · 2026Article
- Self-Reported Versus County-Based Rurality of People Who Gave Birth in 6 US States, 2020.American journal of public health · 2025Article
- How rural is All of Us? Comparing characteristics of rural participants in the National Institute of Health's All of Us Research Program to other national data sources.The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association · 2024Article
- Naloxone Availability and Cost After Transition to an Over-the-Counter Product.JAMA health forum · 2024Article
- Addressing rural and non-rural substance use disorder stigma: Evidence from a national randomized controlled trial.Addictive behaviors reports · 2024Article
- Article
- Rethinking urban-rural designations in public health surveillance of the overdose crisis and crafting an agenda for future monitoring.The International journal on drug policy · 2023Article
- Engagement and Utilization of a Complete Remote Digital Care Program for Musculoskeletal Pain Management in Urban and Rural Areas Across the United States: Longitudinal Cohort Study.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2023Article
- Telehealth use among pediatric Alabama Medicaid enrollees, March-December 2020: Variations by race/ethnicity & place of residence.PloS one · 2023Observational
- Naloxone Accessibility by Standing Order in North Carolina Community Pharmacies.Journal of the American Pharmacists Association : JAPhAArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe various ways in which rurality is defined can have large-scale implications on the provision of healthcare services.
objectiveThe purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between self-perceived urban-rural distinction and the United States (US) Census tract-based Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) scheme that defines rurality among pharmacists.
methodsThis was a secondary analysis of data collected through a web-based survey of licensed pharmacists in North Carolina. Respondents self-reported their workplace settings, zip codes, and the pharmacy services offered in their place of work. Zip codes were replaced with the corresponding RUCA codes. The relationship between self-reported classification and RUCA codes was analyzed and a chi square test was performed to measure statistical significance.
resultsOf the original survey, 584 participants reported their workplace zip code and 579 reported their workplace setting (urban, rural). A significant difference was found between pharmacists who self-reported working in rural areas and the RUCA classifications - 94 (56.6%) of the 166 participants who reported working in "rural" areas were considered "urban" according to RUCA.
conclusionsA significant discordance between pharmacists' self-reported classification and the RUCA codes was found, with more respondents self-reporting their workplace area as "rural" as compared to the RUCA classification. Decision-makers examining the pharmacy workforce and pharmacy services should be aware of this discordance and its implications for resource allocation. We recommend the use of standardized metrics, when possible.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.