Predictors of Hospital Choice among Rural Patients Seeking Elective Surgery: A Scoping Review
Hospital choice for surgery affects both patient outcomes and hospital viability, a greater understanding of rural patients’ surgical care-seeking behavior could enhance rural health and rural hospital financial stability. Specifically, insight on modifiable determinants of care-seeking behavior can inform policies to promote behavior that is consistent with evidence-based public health recommendations (e.g., undergoing common, low-risk surgeries at local hospitals and undergoing complex, high-risk surgeries at high-volume hospitals). Although previous research has examined rural surgical care-seeking behavior, to date, there is no published comprehensive scoping review of the literature. The purpose of, Predictors of Hospital Choice among Rural Patients Seeking Elective Surgery--A Scoping Review, was to identify literature describing determinants of hospital choice among rural patients seeking elective surgery.