Authors

Lydia Seagraves

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Abstract

Rural communities are challenged due to fewer healthcare resources compared to urban communities. There are limited studies addressing how the availability of nurses may influence inpatient days depending on the community context. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of county-level nursing personnel and inpatient days in rural and urban counties. This was a cross-sectional study using secondary data about 45 Texas counties from the Area Health Resources File. In rural and urban counties there was a strong positive correlation between inpatient days and Registered Nurses. In urban counties there was a strong positive correlation between Advanced Practice Nurses and inpatient days but not in rural counties. This suggests that having an adequate number of Registered Nurses is an important factor in being able to provide inpatient care. More information on Texas counties would be helpful to understand the acute healthcare needs of residents across Texas.

Publication Date

5-1-2021

Language

English

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