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AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 7 of 7 Research Studies DisplayedLogan CD, Feinglass J, Halverson AL
Rural-urban disparities in receipt of surgery for potentially resectable non-small cell lung cancer.
This study examined the reasons there are lower rates of surgical treatment for potentially resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) for patients living in rural areas than in urban areas. The National Cancer Database was used to identify patients with clinical stage I-IIIA NSCLC between 2004 and 2018. Reasons for nonreceipt of surgery was evaluated for rural and urban area patients. The study included 328,785 patients with NSCLC with 13% from rural areas. Overall, 62.4% of patients from urban areas and 58.8% of patients from rural areas underwent surgery. Patients from rural areas had increased odds of (1) being recommended primary nonsurgical management, (2) surgery being deemed contraindicated due to risk, (3) surgery being recommended but not performed, and (4) overall failure to receive surgery.
AHRQ-funded; HS026385.
Citation: Logan CD, Feinglass J, Halverson AL .
Rural-urban disparities in receipt of surgery for potentially resectable non-small cell lung cancer.
J Surg Res 2023 Mar;283:1053-63. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2022.10.097.
Keywords: Cancer: Lung Cancer, Cancer, Disparities, Surgery, Rural Health, Access to Care
Herb J, Holmes M, Stitzenberg K
Trends in rural-urban disparities among surgical specialties treating cancer, 2004-2017.
The purpose of this study was to assess trends over time in rural and urban disparities in the supply of surgeons treating patients with cancer. The researchers utilized the Area Health Resource File to conduct a retrospective observational study of medical workforce changes from 2004-2017. The study found that the density of surgical specialists in rural areas declined from 16 to 14 per 100,000 population and in urban areas from 33 to 31 per 100,000 population for a rural-urban disparity increase of 8%. The percentage increase in the supply disparity between the rural and urban workforce was largest for colorectal surgeons (66%) and general surgeons (72%). The study concluded that temporal changes in the rural-urban physician workforce depend on community factors, region, and area of specialization.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Herb J, Holmes M, Stitzenberg K .
Trends in rural-urban disparities among surgical specialties treating cancer, 2004-2017.
J Rural Health 2022 Sep;38(4):838-44. doi: 10.1111/jrh.12658..
Keywords: Rural Health, Disabilities, Surgery, Cancer, Workforce
Roberson ML, Nichols HB, Olshan AF
Trends in surgical treatment of early-stage breast cancer reveal decreasing mastectomy use between 2003 and 2016 by age, race, and rurality.
The authors sought to examine trends in the surgical treatment of breast cancer by age, rurality, and among Black women in a populous, racially diverse, state in the Southeastern United States of America. Using data from the North Carolina Central Cancer Registry, they found declining mastectomy rates in the early 2000s in a Southern US state with a racially and geographically diverse population. These decreasing trends were consistent among key subgroups affected by cancer inequities, including Black and White rural women.
AHRQ-funded; HS027299.
Citation: Roberson ML, Nichols HB, Olshan AF .
Trends in surgical treatment of early-stage breast cancer reveal decreasing mastectomy use between 2003 and 2016 by age, race, and rurality.
Breast Cancer Res Treat 2022 Jun;193(2):445-54. doi: 10.1007/s10549-022-06564-w..
Keywords: Cancer: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Women, Surgery, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Rural Health
Cohen C, Baird M, Koirola N
The surgical and anesthesia workforce and provision of surgical services in rural communities: a mixed-methods examination.
This mixed-methods study described the distribution of the surgical and anesthesia workforce and qualitatively explored how such workforce and other factors influenced rural hospitals' provision of surgical services. Using American Hospital Association survey data, the researchers found that within rural counties, 55.1% had no surgeon, 81.2% had no anesthesiologist, and 58.1% had no Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. While rural hospitals reported meeting community needs for elective and noncomplex surgeries, these hospitals continued to face significant challenges providing subspecialty surgeries, emergency surgeries, and 24-hour obstetrical services.
AHRQ-funded; HS023009.
Citation: Cohen C, Baird M, Koirola N .
The surgical and anesthesia workforce and provision of surgical services in rural communities: a mixed-methods examination.
J Rural Health 2021 Jan;37(1):45-54. doi: 10.1111/jrh.12417..
Keywords: Rural Health, Access to Care, Surgery, Workforce, Provider: Physician, Provider: Nurse, Provider, Hospitals
Herb JN, Dunham LN, Mody G
Lung cancer surgical regionalization disproportionately worsens travel distance for rural patients.
Researchers hypothesized that lung cancer patients have been traveling further for surgery over time as regionalization has occurred, and this increased travel has primarily impacted rural patients. Using data from a North Carolina all-payer state discharge database, they found that the number of hospitals performing lung cancer resections decreased from 49 to 31 over the study period, and the proportion of patients receiving care at high-volume centers increased. Rural patient travel distance increased over time by 8.5 miles, with no change in urban patient travel distance. They concluded that, in North Carolina, lung cancer surgical regionalization occurred over the study period and was accompanied by increases in travel distance for rural patients only. They recommended further work to determine the effects of greater travel distance on patterns of cancer care for rural patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Herb JN, Dunham LN, Mody G .
Lung cancer surgical regionalization disproportionately worsens travel distance for rural patients.
J Rural Health 2020 Sep;36(4):496-505. doi: 10.1111/jrh.12440..
Keywords: Cancer: Lung Cancer, Cancer, Rural Health, Surgery, Access to Care
Khubchandani JA, Ingraham AM, Daniel VT
Geographic diffusion and implementation of acute care surgery: an uneven solution to the national emergency general surgery crisis.
Researchers investigated geographic diffusion of acute care surgery (ACS) models of care and characterized the communities in which ACS implementation is lagging. They found that acute care surgery implementation has not been uniform. Rural regions have limited ACS access, with hospitals in counties with greater than the 75th percentile population having 5.4 times higher odds of implementing ACS than hospitals in counties with less than 25th percentile population.
AHRQ-funded; HS022694.
Citation: Khubchandani JA, Ingraham AM, Daniel VT .
Geographic diffusion and implementation of acute care surgery: an uneven solution to the national emergency general surgery crisis.
JAMA Surg 2018 Feb;153(2):150-59. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2017.3799.
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Keywords: Critical Care, Rural Health, Surgery
Singh JA, Ramachandaran R
Does rural residence impact total ankle arthroplasty utilization and outcomes?
The objective of this study was to compare total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) utilization and outcomes by patient residence. It demonstrated an absence of any evidence of rural-urban differences in TAA outcomes. The rural-urban differences in TAA utilization noted in 2003 were no longer significant in 2011.
AHRQ-funded; HS021110.
Citation: Singh JA, Ramachandaran R .
Does rural residence impact total ankle arthroplasty utilization and outcomes?
Clin Rheumatol 2016 Feb;35(2):381-6. doi: 10.1007/s10067-015-2908-z.
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Keywords: Centers for Education and Research on Therapeutics (CERTs), Rural Health, Surgery, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Healthcare Utilization