General and Specialist Surgeon Supply and Inpatient Procedural Content: A National Rural-Urban Study
We posit that many rural areas lack general surgeons and that inpatient procedures in rural areas with low general surgeon supply will have relatively low complexity, but high necessity and high urgency (e.g., appendectomies). We will explore whether this relationship is influenced by patient sociodemographics and comorbidity, hospital factors, and per capita supply of other types of surgical specialists. Discerning patterns in procedural content across the rural-urban continuum nationally will enable policymakers and researchers to identify rural populations facing the greatest disparities in surgical access. Products will include a Final Report and Policy Brief on the WWAMI RHRC website. Findings will be presented at local, regional and national conferences and submitted for refereed publication.
Publications
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Variability in General Surgical Procedures in Rural and Urban U.S. Hospital Inpatient Settings
Report
WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 03/2015
This report addresses rural/urban differences in surgical practices in commonly performed inpatient surgical procedures that are typically handled by general surgeons. Findings indicate that rural hospitals concentrated on relatively common, low complexity procedures that can be handled by general surgeons.