Children in Rural Areas More Likely to be Hospitalized, Readmitted with Complex Medical Issues

Rural children are more likely to experience worse health outcomes than non-rural children, and are five times more likely to live in areas that lack adequate local medical services, according to a new study, “Characteristics of Rural Children Admitted to Pediatric Hospitals,”.

Researchers found that rural children who are hospitalized at pediatric hospitals are more frequently hospitalized at a higher cost than non-rural children, and are more likely to be readmitted to the hospital. This could be due to the challenges faced by hospitals and local health care providers to coordinate medical services after the child’s discharge, according to the study.
Research showed that the majority of hospitalized rural children resided in high-poverty neighborhoods.
Further investigation is needed to determine how to best meet the health care needs of rural children, who show high rates of medical complexity and often travel long distances for medical care.