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Identifying Health Care Needs of Rural Ohio Citizens: An Evaluation of a Two‐stage Methodology
Author(s) -
Birdwell Stephen W.,
Calesaric Heather
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
the journal of rural health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.439
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1748-0361
pISSN - 0890-765X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-0361.1996.tb00784.x
Subject(s) - focus group , health care , nursing , rural health , scale (ratio) , medicine , rural area , psychology , family medicine , business , marketing , political science , physics , pathology , quantum mechanics , law
The purpose of this study was to determine the health care needs of rural Ohio from the perspectives of health care providers and consumers using a two‐stage methodology. In stage one, 12 focus groups were conducted in six rural areas: six groups of consumers and six groups of health care providers. A total of 53 consumers and 53 health care providers participated in the sessions. The participants identified 124 health care issues. In stage two, a questionnaire was developed to determine the importance of all issues identified in the focus group sessions. The questionnaire was mailed to all focus group participants and also to individuals invited to participate in the focus groups who were unable to attend. Individuals were asked to rate the importance of each health care issue in their community on an 11‐point scale (0=not important, 10=extremely important. A total of 207 (56.9%) usable questionnaires were re‐turned. Mean (+ S.D.) values were calculated for each health care issue, and the most important were (1) issues related to the financing and cost of health services and insurance, and (2) concerns associated with characteristics and behaviors of rural residents. The two‐stage methodology provides a mechanism for identifying the concerns of providers and consumers and allows for these perspectives to be considered in the planning and development of strategies to address issues surrounding rural health care.