The Doctor is In: Applications of telehealth for rural populations
The Doctor is In: Applications of telehealth for rural populations
January 8, 2021
For most Americans in suburban or urban areas, a trip to the doctor is usually as innocuous as a quick 20-minute car ride. But for 20 percent (60 million) of Americans who live in rural communities, where hospitals and the health care professionals needed to staff them are scarce, accessing basic medical care poses a much greater challenge.
The shortage of doctors and closure of hospitals in rural communities can be largely attributed to a generation of rising physicians who are unwilling to practice medicine in sparsely populated communities. A 2019 Merritt Hawkins survey found that only one percent of fourth year medical residents were willing to work in communities with less than 10,000 residents. As a result, 119 hospitals that once served rural communities have closed their doors since 2010, a record-breaking 18 of which closed