Issues in Rural Pediatric Primary Care

Abstract

Children in rural areas experience health disparities above and beyond their urban and suburban counterparts. In order to explore the needs of children and their families in rural health care settings, two research articles were completed: (a) a systematic literature review used to explore brief interventions for use in pediatric primary care and (b) a descriptive cross-sectional study done to analyze the influence of parental biopsychosocial characteristics on child health care utilization. The systematic review revealed a considerable need for empirically supported biopsychosocial brief interventions designed for use with under-served, rural children and their families. The research study revealed a relationship between parent biopsychosocial characteristics (e.g., mental health quality of life) and child health care utilization (both acute and non-acute) in a rural southeastern community health clinic; relationships were also identified between child medical chart diagnoses (e.g., asthma, depression, obesity) and parental scores on biopsychosocial measures. Recommendations developed from both articles are extended for clinicians, researchers, and policy makers who care about the needs of the rural and under-served children and families. Specific recommendations are also made for those who employ a relational lens to their research and who practice from a Medical Family Therapy orientation.