ArticleBMC geriatrics2026
Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in rural medicare populations: a scoping review.
Article in BMC geriatrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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.
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.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRural populations in the U.S. face a disproportionate burden of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD), characterized by delayed diagnosis, limited access to care, and high mortality. Medicare data, given their extensive coverage of older adults and ability to capture longitudinal care trajectories, are a critical resource for understanding these disparities. However, no previous review has systematically synthesized evidence specific to rural Medicare beneficiaries with ADRD. This scoping review maps the existing evidence and highlights critical areas where further rural ADRD research is needed.
methodsWe conducted a systematic search on PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science from January 1, 2000 to March 5, 2025. Peer-reviewed studies were included if they examined ADRD outcomes in rural Medicare populations. Information on study designs, health outcomes, population characteristics, rurality definitions, risk factors, access to care, quality of services, healthcare utilization, statistical methods, and policies or interventions were extracted and synthesized.
resultsThirty-three studies were included, most published after 2019 (72.7%). The predominant study designs were cohort (60.6%) and cross-sectional (30.3%), with heavy reliance on Medicare Fee-for-Service data (84.8%). The literature focused primarily on care delivery (30.3%) and hospitalization outcomes (21.2%), whereas far fewer studies examined ADRD incidence, prevalence, mortality, medication use, and dementia subtypes. Lifestyle factors were assessed in 18.2%, whereas environmental exposures were rarely studied (3.0%). Methodologically, studies relied largely on simple regression approaches, used inconsistent rurality definitions, and rarely evaluated policy interventions.
conclusionsRural Medicare beneficiaries with ADRD remain underrepresented in research despite their disproportionate burden. Future studies should address inconsistent rural definitions, limited consideration of medication use, lifestyle and environmental exposures (natural and built), and rural-specific policy evaluations.
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Registered trials
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