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2023-01-13
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Public Health Practice
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Copyright (c) 2023 Andrew Kotz
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An interactive web-based dashboard representing Medicare-accepting Rural Health Clinics and General Hospitals in Minnesota
Andrew Kotz
Saint Louis University
Abstract
In the state of Minnesota, rural residents face great difficulties in seeking medical care. Minnesota Rural Health Connect (MNRHC) is an internet-hosted webpage designed to enable rural Minnesotans to seek out Medicare-accepting rural health clinics and hospitals through an interactive map. An analysis of the corresponding questionnaire results suggested that the target demographic was successfully reached, with 36.4% and 29.7% of respondents being residents of rural and semi-rural areas, respectively. Of the respondents, 36.8% identified as over the age of 65, and 44.5% of the respondents identified as being between 35 and 65, showing that MNRHC was heavily used among Minnesotans of older age groups. The page was also shown to be well received among users, with user feedback reflecting a satisfaction score of μ = 4.18 (σ2 = .70, n = 209), on a 1-5 scale. Promising feedback provides evidence of the necessity of a web-based interactive map representing Medicare-accepting rural health clinics and hospitals in Minnesota.
