Access to health care professionals in rural Mississippi.
BACKGROUND
The location and identification of health professionals' practice sites is the first step in enhancing the availability of quality medical care to all regions of the state. Identification of specific areas of need is difficult, as provider data is often collected and housed separately through multiple organizations. This study provides a comparative review of the distribution of physicians, dentists, nurses, and psychologists and examines future provider needs of selected rural counties and regions within the state.


METHODS
Data were compiled from multiple state and federal agencies.


RESULTS
Twenty percent of Mississippi physicians are at or near retirement age. Several Mississippi counties could lose most or all of their physicians in the next few years. The distribution of health care workers is uneven across the state.


CONCLUSIONS
Maldistribution of health care workers and the aging health care workforce impacts access to care, particularly in rural Mississippi counties.
Hart-Hester
Susan
S
Department of Family Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39216-4505, USA.
Thomas
Charlotte
C
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006280:Health Workforce / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008922:Mississippi; D011365:Professional Practice Location / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012179:Retirement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*