The US public health community has demonstrated increasing awareness of rural health disparities in the past several years. Although current interest is high, the topic is not new, and some of the earliest public health literature includes reports on infectious disease and sanitation in rural places. Continuing through the first third of the 20th century, dozens of articles documented rural disparities in infant and maternal mortality, sanitation and water safety, health care access, and among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities. Current rural research reveals similar challenges, and strategies suggested for addressing rural–urban health disparities 100 years ago resonate today. This article examines rural public health literature from a century ago and its connections to contemporary rural health disparities. We describe parallels between current and historical rural public health challenges and discuss how strategies proposed in the early 20th century may inform current policy and practice. As we explore the new frontier of rural public health, it is critical to consider enduring rural challenges and how to ensure that proposed solutions translate into actual health improvements. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print September 17, 2020; e1–e9. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.305868 )
Purpose: Electronic health records (EHRs) can facilitate primary care providers' (PCPs) use of best practices in addressing tobacco dependence. It is unknown whether rural PCPs reap the same benefits as their urban counterparts when employing EHRs for this purpose. Our study examines this issue.Methods: This cross-sectional investigation based on the 2012-2015 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey used chi-square tests and adjusted logistic regression models to explore how rurality and use of tobacco-related EHR functions were related to smoking status documentation (SSD) and cessation treatment at adult primary care visits.Findings: SSD rates were similar in visits to rural-and urban-based PCPs (88.2% ruralbased vs 81.1% urban-based, P = .5819). Use of EHRs for SSD was associated with higher SSD odds at visits to both rural-and urban-based PCPs, but this increase was greater for visits to rural-based PCPs (428% vs 220% urban-based, P = .0443). Rates of cessation treatment at smokers' visits were low in rural and urban contexts (19.3% rural vs 19.6% urban, P = .9430). Odds of cessation treatment were 68% higher where EHRs were used to remind PCPs of treatment guidelines (P = .001), with no rural-urban difference in the size of the increase. Access to EHRs with tobacco-related functions was similar across rural and urban practices.
Conclusions:Rural-based PCPs were at least as successful as urban-based PCPs in leveraging EHRs to enhance tobacco-related services. Even where EHRs are used, opportunities exist to expand cessation treatment in rural primary care.
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