Journal article
Understanding the impacts of rural hospital closures: A scoping review
The Journal of rural health, Vol.40(2), pp.227-237
03/2024
DOI: 10.1111/jrh.12801
PMID: 37822033
Abstract
Abstract Purpose Rural hospitals are closing at unprecedented rates, with hundreds more at risk of closure in the coming 2 years. Multiple federal policies are being developed and implemented without a salient understanding of the emerging literature evaluating rural hospital closures and its impacts. We conducted a scoping review to understand the impacts of rural hospital closure to inform ongoing policy debates and research. Methods A comprehensive search strategy was devised by library faculty to collate publications using the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews. Two coauthors then independently performed title and abstract screening, full text review, and study extraction. Findings We identified 5054 unique citations and assessed 236 full texts for possible inclusion in our narrative synthesis of the literature on the impacts of rural hospital closure. Twenty total original studies were included in our narrative synthesis. Key domains of adverse impacts related to rural hospital closure included emergency medical service transport, local economies, availability and utilization of emergency care and hospital services, availability of outpatient services, changes in quality of care, and workforce and community members. However, significant heterogeneity existed within these findings. Conclusions Given the significant heterogeneity within our findings across multiple domains of impact, we advocate for a tailored approach to mitigating the impacts of rural hospital closures for policymakers. We also discuss crucial knowledge gaps in the evidence base—especially with respect to quality measures beyond mortality. The synthesis of these findings will permit policymakers and researchers to understand, and mitigate, the harms of rural hospital closure.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Understanding the impacts of rural hospital closures: A scoping review
- Creators
- Cody Lendon Mullens - University of Michigan–Ann ArborJ. Andres Hernandez - Duke UniversityJeevan Murthy - West Virginia UniversitySteph Hendren - Duke University Medical Center Library Durham North CarolinaWhitney E. Zahnd - University of IowaAndrew M. Ibrahim - University of Michigan–Ann ArborJohn W. Scott - University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- The Journal of rural health, Vol.40(2), pp.227-237
- DOI
- 10.1111/jrh.12801
- PMID
- 37822033
- ISSN
- 0890-765X
- eISSN
- 1748-0361
- Grant note
- DOI: 10.13039/100000133, name: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, award: K08‐HS028672, R01‐HS027788
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 10/11/2023
- Date published
- 03/2024
- Academic Unit
- Health Management and Policy
- Record Identifier
- 9984482559402771
Metrics
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