Observational studyBMC health services research2025
Mobile health clinics in a rural setting: a cost analysis and time motion study of La Clínica in Oregon, United States.
Observational study in BMC health services research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Challenges in implementing optimal perinatal regionalization: a scoping review.Maternal health, neonatology and perinatology · 2026Review
- Promoting access to chronic illness management and nursing education in a rural Illinois nurse-led mobile health unit.Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners · 2026Article
- What Do We Know About Rural Mobile Health Clinics? A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Increased Density of Mobile Health Unit Encounters Among Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Hypertension Disparities in Immigrant and Refugee Populations: Screening, Treatment Access, and Cultural Barriers.Current hypertension reports · 2026Review
- Developing a Public Health Quality Tool for Mobile Health Clinics to Assess and Improve Care.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Mobile Dermatology Clinics: Opportunities to Expand Medical and Surgical Care Access in Underserved Communities.Cureus · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMobile Health Clinics (MHCs) are an alternate form of healthcare delivery that may ameliorate current rural-urban health disparities in chronic diseases and have downstream impacts on the health system by reducing costs. Evaluations of providers' time allocation on MHCs are scarce, hindering knowledge transfer related to MHC implementation strategies.
methodsRetrospective economic cost was assessed using business ledgers and expert assessments in 2023 US Dollar (USD) from 2022 to 2023. Time motion observational study assessed nurse practitioner (NP) and community health worker (CHW) time allocation and compared them between patients residing in isolated rural areas (hereafter isolated rural patients) and patients experiencing houselessness (PEH) sub-populations. Procedure codes were assessed retrospectively for each patient encounter (n = 1,981) over one year (April 2022 to April 2023). We used statistical significance tests (chi-square and Fisher's Exact) to evaluate difference across sub-populations.
resultsIntervention start-up and operational costs totaled 275,000USD and 308,000USD, respectively, with the largest allocations to the modified recreational vehicle (RV) unit and labor. NP attributed 32% of time on direct care (mean = 153.00 min (SD = 37.80 min)), 38% on indirect care (186.0 (53.40)), and 21% on MHC tasks (104.00 (23.94)). CHW spent 47% of time on MHC tasks (182.00 (29.46)), 22% on medical care tasks (85.01 (SD 81.97)), and 22% on social needs tasks (87.70 (86.71 min)). NP time allocation did not differ significantly between isolated rural patients and PEH (p > 0.01), but CHW time did (p < 0.01). Of all procedures, 31.3% were vaccinations (N = 438), 27.0% were Covid-19 related (N = 377), 12.8% were outside referrals (N = 179), and 11.8% were point of care testing. Healthcare utilization varied between patient sub-populations, with Isolated Rural patient use dominated by Covid-19 and Influenza vaccines whereas PEH use was dominated by point of care testing (p < 0.01).
conclusionPatient sub-populations require varying provider time in different tasks and variable economic resources for interventions. As local policy makers balance resources and community health needs, a complete understanding of the resources required to operate an MHC and use of provider time is essential for informed decision making and successful implementation in underserved communities.
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