System- and Individual-Level Barriers to Accessing Medical Care Services Across the Rural-Urban Spectrum, Washington State

Abstract

Background: Residents of rural areas face barriers beyond geography and distance when accessing medical care services. The purpose of this study was to characterize medical care access barriers across several commonly used classifications of rurality. Methods: Washington State household residents completed a mixed-mode (paper/online) health care access survey between June 2018 and December 2019 administered to a stratified random sample of ZIP codes classified as urban, suburban, large rural, and small rural (4-tier scheme). For analyses, rurality was also classified into 2-tier schemes (rural/urban) based on ZIP code and county. Respondents reported availability of medical care services and system- and individual-level barriers to accessing services. Logistic regression models estimated the odds of reporting system- or individual-level barriers in accessing medical care services across rurality (4- and 2-tier schemes), adjusting for respondent characteristics, and weighted to account for survey design. Results: About 617 households completed the survey (25.7% response rate). Compared to urban residents (across all 3 schemes), more rural residents reported traveling to a distant city or town for medical care (P