LIT REVIEW. 6 PAGES DOUBLE SPACED. SEE INSTRUCTIONS

Literature Review Rubric – COH 611

Criteria	Points Possible
Short introduction reviewing topics to be discussed in the literature review	___5__/5 points
Appropriate Selection of Articles – Information is gathered from multiple (at least 12) peer-reviewed primary sources directly related/relevant to the research topic – at least 8 of these are within the past 5-7 years.	___13.5__/15 points
Theme – Well organized, demonstrates logical sequencing and structure – adheres to one of the ways to organize a literature review presented in Chapter 2	__16___/20 points
Synthesis of Research – integrated support from more than one source for one idea/argument while also identifying how sources are related to each other and to main idea	__18___/25 points
Referencing/In-text Citations – information and studies are cited properly using APA format – 7th edition – sources are cited when specific claims or statements are made	___8.5__/10 points
Length – adheres to the minimum length of 6 double-spaced pages (no maximum)	___4__/5 points
Format – font, spacing, and APA format are correct	___4__/5 points
Grammar/Mechanics – No (or very few) grammar/mechanical errors.	__4___/5 points
Summary/Research Question(s) and/or Hypothesis/Hypotheses – literature review leads to an overall summary which includes the study’s H(s) and/or RQ(s) – these are formed through the literature review and clearly stated based on the criteria in the textbook.	___0__/10 points
TOTAL	__73___/100 points

2

Introduction

NAME

National University

COH 611

August 29, 2023

A Comparative Analysis of Access to Healthcare in Rural Communities within the United States

Statement of the research problem

Rural communities within the United States do not have the same opportunities as their urban counterparts as far as access to healthcare is concerned. This paper analyzes the access to healthcare in rural areas. It seeks to identify the extent to which rural communities within the United States have access to healthcare. In addition to this, the paper focuses on identifying the barriers to access to healthcare, what causes the barriers, and how the barriers can be removed or their impact minimized. Healthcare is an essential need, but rural communities do not access it as much as they should. This is a problem that should be addressed and solved.

Review of studies that have addressed the problem

The problem of access to healthcare in rural communities within the United States has been there for a long time. For this reason, several studies have addressed different dimensions of the problem. Nelsen, D'Agostino, & Gregory (2017) looked at the challenges faced as far as accessing healthcare in rural areas is concerned. They identified the challenges and how they affect the people. Kirby and Yabroff (2020) compared access to healthcare between rural and urban populations. This revealed factors that led to the differences. Many studies have been carried out addressing topics related to the problem, and they offer helpful information that can be used for future research and studies.

Deficiencies in past literature

The primary deficiency in past literature is the failure to address the topic comprehensively. Most of the studies addressed part of the problem, and this left out a gap that made the study incomplete. For instance, Nelsen, D'Agostino, & Gregory (2017) identified the challenges and how the people are affected but did not come up with solutions to those challenges. Other studies compared the differences in access to primary healthcare between urban and rural populations but did not offer solutions. It is suggested that future research addresses the problem from all possible angles. It needs to focus on the factors that cause the challenges to access healthcare in rural communities in the United States. They should look at the extent to which the communities are affected and suggest solutions and how they will be implemented.

Audiences who will potentially find the study of interest

The Department of Health will be interested in this study because it is directly involved. It is the responsibility of the Department of Health to ensure all citizens have access to proper healthcare; therefore, they will be interested in the study. Non-governmental health organizations and stakeholders will also be interested in the study. They will want to understand the situation to see how they can come in and help.

Purpose statement

The purpose of this study is to discover the gap that exists in terms of accessing healthcare in rural communities in the United States. The study will examine the causes of the situation and develop solutions that will be implemented to ensure the problem is solved. The study seeks to understand why rural communities within the United States still have challenges accessing quality healthcare services. Discovering the cause of the problem will offer significant insights into the long-term solution. Everyone deserves quality health, which the study seeks to achieve.

References

Nielsen, M., D’Agostino, D., & Gregory, P. (2017). Addressing rural health challenges head-on. Missouri Medicine, 114(5), 363-366.

Bolin, J., Bellamy, G., Ferdinand, A. et al. (2020). Rural healthy people 2020: new decade, same challenges. Journal of Rural Health, 42(31), 326-333.

Coombs, N., Campbell. D., & Caringi, J. (2022). A qualitative study of rural healthcare providers’ views of social, cultural, and programmatic barriers to healthcare access. BMC health services research, 22(438), 340-342.

Cyr, M., Etchin, A., Guthrie, B., et al. (2019). Access to specialty healthcare in urban vs rural US populations: A systematic literature review. BMC health services research, 19(974), 400-407.

Douthit, N., Kiv, S., Dwolatzky, T., & Biswas, S. (2015). Exposing some important barriers to healthcare access in the rural USA. Public health, 129(6), 611-620.

Kirby, J. & Yabroff, K. (2020). Rural-urban differences in access to primary care: beyond the usual source of care provider. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 22(50), 89-96.

McCarthy, S., Moore, D., Smedley, W., et al. (2021). Impact of rural hospital closures on healthcare access. Journal of surgical research, 78(258), 170-178.

Miller, C., & Vasan, R. (2021). The southern rural health and mortality penalty: a review of regional health inequalities in the United States. Social science and medicine, 21(268), 113-120.