Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40022451›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association2025

Exploring access to critical health services for older adults in rural America from 1990 to 2020.

Elizabeth A Bambury, Alexis A Merdjanoff, Joshua T Fergen, J Tom Mueller

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Exploring access to critical health services for older adults in rural America from 1990 to 2020.The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Elizabeth A BamburyDepartment of Population Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3958-3728
Alexis A MerdjanoffDepartment of Social and Behavioral Sciences, New York University School of Global Public Health, New York, New York, USA.
Joshua T FergenMemory Keepers Medical Discovery Team, University of Minnesota Medical School Duluth Campus, Duluth, Minnesota, USA.
J Tom MuellerDepartment of Population Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6223-4505

Funding

Interdisciplinary Network on Rural Population Health and AgingR24AG065159 · NIA · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE · PI JENSEN, LEIF · 2019 to 2023
$1.9M
Aging in Precarious Place: Building Resilience Among Older Adults Living in Environmentally Vulnerable AreasK01AG076974 · NIA · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY · PI Alexis Merdjanoff · 2022 to 2026
$709k
NIA NIH HHS K01 AG076974NIA NIH HHS R24 AG065159NIA NIH HHS R24AG065159
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeRural America has experienced a rapid loss of hospitals since the turn of the century, making access to high-quality health care the top rural health priority. Coinciding with this hospital decline is the growth of a rural population age 65 years or older. The health needs of older adults can require specialty care to support healthy aging. To date, minimal research has been conducted on trends in aging-related health care services in rural areas beyond hospital closures.

methodsThis study uses a 30-year lookback of data from the Area Health Resource Files to describe the trends in local access to hospitals and critical health services important for conditions experienced by older adults in rural America. Results are presented across measures of rurality and population age.

findingsLocal aging-related access to services such as chemotherapy, oncology, emergency department, geriatric, and home health agencies have been stagnant or declining over time in rural areas. Concerningly, the most remote communities with the highest percent of older adults have the lowest service access.

conclusionThese findings shed light on the growing need for policies to support healthy aging among the increasingly older rural population.

Indexed as

Health Services AccessibilityRural Health ServicesRural PopulationAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansMaleUnited Stateshealth care service trendshealthy agingolder adult health carerural Americarural health care access

Identifiers

PMID40022451
PMCPMC11871418

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.