Rurality predisposes departure from gold-standard care, leading to delayed or accelerated access to surgery: insights from a scoping review.

Background: Because tertiary centres are generally situated at urban sites, it is unclear whether patients in rural areas have the same access to surgical services that patients in urban areas do. We sought to map the North American evidence landscape of how rurality affects access to medically indicated surgeries and identify system-, patient-, and provider-level barriers that preclude urban-comparable care.

Methods: We carried out a systematic search adhering to PRISMA for Scoping Reviews methodology across PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science, encompassing literature from the last 26 years (January 2023).

Challenging perceptions about rural practice using narratives: a living library approach in medical education.

Introduction: The shortage of physicians in rural Canada is a continuing challenge. Canadian medical schools have adapted strategies to increase the supply of rural physicians. This study appraises the effectiveness of the living library (also called Human Library©) in medical education, as an avenue for medical and pre-medical students to engage in dialogue with rural health professionals.

Abortion care preferences and trade-offs when traveling out-of-state for facility-based services: findings from a discrete choice experiment.

Background: Pregnant people living in states that banned abortion after the US Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v Wade (Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization -Dobbs decision) may evaluate multiple factors when deciding where to obtain facility-based abortion care in another state. We examine Texans' stated preferences for out-of-state facility-based abortion care and quantify the trade-offs they would make when choosing between out-of-state facilities following a 2022 abortion ban.

Methods: In August 2022, we surveyed Texans ≥ 16 years old seeking abortion at in-state facilities or who were searching online for information about accessing abortion care.

Increasing Representation/Inclusivity Of Older Adults And Investigators From Minoritized Groups In Aging Research.

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) plays a pivotal role in advancing scientific research, developing training and the science workforce, and promoting public health initiatives. However, the benefits of the NIA's work have not been equally distributed among all older adult population groups, highlighting persistent disparities in chronic illness burden and access to healthcare and research. As the NIA commemorates its 50th anniversary, this milestone presents an opportunity to reflect on its consequential initiatives and accomplishments while also strategizing for the robust inclusion of underrepresented and minoritized populations and the future health of our Nation's older adult population.