title: Identifying health care needs of rural Ohio citizens: an evaluation of a two-stage methodology.
abstract: 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 returned. 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.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Birdwell
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Calesaric
mesh_terms: D003256:Community Participation; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D017144:Focus Groups; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006266:Health Education; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D009820:Ohio / Q000453:epidemiology; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D012424:Rural Population; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires