title: The care of HIV-infected adults in rural areas of the United States.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study describes the population of HIV-infected adults receiving care in rural areas of the United States and compares HIV care received in rural and urban areas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Interviews were conducted with a nationally representative sample of 367 HIV-infected adults receiving health care in rural areas and 2806 HIV-infected adults receiving health care in urban areas of the contiguous United States.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We estimate that 4800 HIV-infected persons received medical care in rural areas during the first half of 1996. Patients in rural HIV care were more likely than patients in urban HIV care to receive care from providers seeing few (<10) HIV-infected patients (38% vs. 3%; p <.001). Rural care patients were less likely than urban care patients to have taken highly active antiretroviral agents (57% vs. 73%; p <.001) or Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia prophylactic medication when indicated (60% vs. 75%; p =.006).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Few American adults received HIV care in rural areas of the United States. Our findings suggest ongoing disparities between urban and rural areas in access to high-quality HIV care.
authors.affiliation: University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA. susan_cohn@urmc.rochester.edu
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Cohn
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Berk
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Frankel
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: McKinney
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rastegar
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Shapiro
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Bozzette
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011010:Pneumocystis; D011020:Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / Q000517:prevention & control; D012423:Rural Health; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents