Services In Rural Communities Research Articles

The Impact of Telerehabilitation on Physical Therapy Services in Rural Communities

Telerehabilitation is a transformative approach to physical therapy, revolutionizing the accessibility of healthcare in rural communities through the strategic use of Telecommunications technology. This novel approach has the potential to significantly enhance the efficacy of healthcare delivery, particularly considering the critical challenges posed by geographical isolation and resource scarcity. This paper explores the multifaceted benefits of Telerehabilitation, including increased access to care and reduced costs, alongside the challenges of technological barriers and privacy considerations. It provides a comprehensive overview of Telerehabilitation’s impact on rural healthcare, emphasizing its capacity to optimize patient outcomes and proposing strategies for effective implementation. The findings of this study suggest that the use of technology to deliver telecare is a key means of delivering equitable healthcare to underserved populations, a promising way to improve access to rural physiotherapy services address the challenge of telehealth resources, and promote the long-term sustainability of rural Telerehabilitation practices.

Maternal and child health care access to skilled delivery services among Ghanaian rural mothers

IntroductionMost new-born babies are born at home in rural communities which is not new phenomenon due to lack of access to primary healthcare services and trained skilled health attendants, exposing mothers and children to a high risk of labour complications. The purpose of this study was to better understand factors influence rural women's access to primary health care and skilled delivery services as well as their reasons for using or not using maternal health care and skilled delivery services.MethodsThe study employed a social survey design with a quantitative approach to data analysis. Cluster Sampling was used, possibly based on rural communities, to efficiently collect data from different geographic locations. Simple random sampling individuals from each cluster ensures that all eligible individuals have an equal chance of being included in the study. This enhances the representativity of the sample. A total of 366 mothers were selected from four rural communities in the North East Region of Ghana. The choice of sample size considered factors like the study's objectives, available resources, and the desired level of statistical power. Data was primarily gathered through the administration of a questionnaire to the respondents. Factors considered for achieving representativity include, geographic representation, accessibility, healthcare infrastructure and healthcare professionals’ attitudes.FindingsThe study found that distance to health centres limits women's access to skilled delivery services. Lack of primary health facilities in the rural communities hamper maternal and child care services delivery. The attitude of health care professionals determines a mother’s utilisation of maternal health care and skilled delivery services.ConclusionThe study contributes to the limited research on maternal health services and their impact on mother and child health in the study area. This study is one of the first to investigate into maternal health care as a key predictor of mother and child health in the study area. The study's theoretical lens was the Andersen and Newman Health Behavioural Model theory, which supports the explanation of distance, lack of primary health centres, attitudes and lack of skilled personnel to the non-utilisation of maternal and health services in rural communities. The study recommended that primary healthcare facilities and trained health professionals should be a priority of government in rural communities to promote maternal and child healthcare.

Consensus Guidelines for Assessment and Comprehensive Outcomes Evaluation in Rural Pain Clinics

Recent advancements in nurse anesthesiology fellowship training programs have helped to establish advanced pain management services for rural communities. Consensus guidelines to direct the rural provider toward the most valid and reliable measures for pain assessment and functional outcomes evaluation are not presently available. The primary aim of this initiative was to establish consensus guidelines for a comprehensive outcome evaluation program with specific time intervals for assessments that can be utilized by all rural pain clinics. The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology Nonsurgical Pain Management Advisory Panel members provided formative and expert feedback for this initiative. The Delphi model was utilized to achieve consensus through multiple rounds of surveys. Items achieving >70% agree/strongly agree were kept; items with >70% disagree/strongly disagree were rejected; items meeting neither advanced to the following round for evaluation until consensus was met. During round I, consensus was reached for: (1) the use of the Numerical Rating Scale for pain severity; and (2) timing of pain severity & functional pain outcomes on each office visit and before/after each intervention. Round II, consensus was achieved for: (1) the use of Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale as a suitable instrument when literacy or communication pose a barrier but not as a primary assessment; and (2) the use of the Brief Pain Index-Short Form for functional outcome measures. During round III, consensus was reached for: (1) the use of the Oswestry Disability Index as a functional outcome measure; and (2) pain reassessment being performed within 14 days of intervention. This initiative provides rural pain clinics with a comprehensive outcome evaluation program with specific time intervals for assessments.

Prospects and challenges of agricultural financing in Nigeria: A review

This paper examined the prospects and challenges of agricultural financing in Nigeria. It was observed that agricultural financing is all about providing services to the farmers who are traditionally not served by the conventional financial institutions. Agricultural financing holds a lot of prospects for Nigerians especially the poor as it will enable them develop their skills, engage in production and many others. Among the problems identified are access to banking services in rural communities, lack of acceptable collateral/ security, perceived high agricultural risk, lack of access to credit information, high cost of credit administration, access to market, infrastructural challenges and subsistence nature of farming. The various prospects highlighted include; economic empowerment of farmers, poverty reduction, gains from international trade, employment generations, rural development, skill development, new innovations, effective utilization of local resources and output expansion. Consequent upon the problems noted, the paper recommends that the supervisory authorities should enforce standards so as to address the issue of poor management of funds meant for credit disbursement.

The acceptance of traditional Chinese medicine among patients with Parkinson’s disease: A hospital survey

ObjectiveThe efficacy of medications for Parkinson’s disease (PD) tend to decline over time, which has a serious impact on patients’ health and quality of life. To some extent, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can resolve the distressing problem of ineffective dopaminergic medication in PD patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitude, acceptance, and independent predictors of TCM in PD patients admitted to the outpatient department of a tertiary hospital. MethodsA cross-sectional study of PD patients was conducted in the outpatient department of a large tertiary hospital in Beijing from March 2022 to June 2023. A self-report questionnaire was developed to investigate PD patients’ attitudes and acceptance of TCM based on the questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were also performed to further clarify the independent predictors influencing patients’ adoption of TCM therapy. ResultsA total of 397 patients completed the questionnaire, of which 78.09% were willing to be treated with TCM and 21.91% indicated that they were not willing to use TCM. Multifactorial logistic regression analysis showed that several parameters were correlated with a patient’s willingness to include TCM in their therapeutic regime. These included education level of a bachelor’s degree (odds ratio [OR) = 8.554; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.112–17.794; P < 0.001, vs junior high school education), living in an urban setting (OR = 8.022; 95% CI: 4.577–14.060; P < 0.001, vs rural), having other underlying diseases (OR = 5.126; 95% CI: 3.078–8.537; P < 0.001, vs none), having previously used TCM (OR = 3.083; 95% CI: 1.852–5.134; P < 0.001, vs not used), believing that TCM therapy is safe (OR = 3.530; 95% CI: 1.446–8.616; P = 0.006, vs not thought), believing that TCM therapy is effective (OR = 3.859; 95% CI: 1.482–10.047; P = 0.006, vs not understood), and being willing to discuss ongoing TCM therapy with an attending physician (OR = 62.468; 95% CI: 30.350–128.574; P < 0.001, vs not informed). ConclusionThis study initially investigated the acceptance, attitude, and independent predictors of TCM use among PD patients. To expand the prevalence of TCM use among patients with PD, we recommend to broadening the public outreach for TCM via contemporary means of Internet and broadcast communication, enhancing access to TCM services in rural communities, and strengthening the communication between doctors and patients.Please cite this article as: Wang P, Hong J, Tang ZQ, Gong BZ, Qi XR, Jiang H, Pan B, Chen Q. The acceptance of traditional Chinese medicine among patients with Parkinson’s disease: A hospital survey. J Integr Med . 2024; Epub ahead of print.

Saving Hearts in Rural West Texas: The Impact of Critical Care Access on Mortality Rates.

Background The Critical Access Hospital (CAH) designation program was created in 1997 by the US Congress to reduce the financial vulnerability of rural hospitals and improve access to healthcare by keeping fundamental services in rural communities. Methods This is a retrospective observational study. Information on CAHs in West Texas in rural counties was extrapolated from the Flex Monitoring Team between 2010 and 2020. The study population included adults aged ≥25 years with a known heart failure (HF) diagnosis who were identified using ICD-10 codes. Mortality rates were obtained from the CDC Wide-ranging ONline Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) database. The HF population was categorized by age, sex, and ethnicity. Mortality differences among these groups were analyzed using a two-sample t-test. The significance level was considered to be p < 0.05. Results The total study population analyzed was 1,348,001. A statistically significant difference in age-adjusted mortality rate (AAMR) was observed between the study and control groups, with a value of 3.200 (95% CI: 3.1910-3.2090, p < 0.0001) in favor of a lower mortality rate in rural counties with CAHs. When comparing gender-related differences, males and females had lower AAMRs in rural counties with CAHs. Among each gender, statistically significant differences were noted between males (95% CI: 2.181-2.218, p < 0.001) and females (95% CI: 3.382-3.417, p < 0.001). When examining the data by ethnicity, the most significant difference in mortality rate was observed within the Hispanic population, 6.400 (95% CI: 6.3770-6.4230, p < 0.0001). When adjusted to age, the crude mortality rate was calculated, which favored CAH admission in the younger population (10.200 (95% CI: 10.1625-10.2375, p < 0.001) and 11.500 (95% CI: 11.4168-11.5832, p < 0.001) in the 55-64 and 65-74 age groups, respectively). Conclusion The data clearly showed that West Texas rural county hospitals that received CAH designation performed better in terms of mortality rates in the HF population compared to non-CAH.

A Rational Review of Building a High Quality Urban and Rural Community Service System

Community service not only affects the quality of life and happiness index of the people, but also reflects the warmth and effectiveness of the community. The construction of community service system is an important path for innovation in community governance system. As China enters a stage of high-quality development, facing problems such as imbalanced and insufficient development of urban and rural community services, incomplete multi-party participation pattern, and weak information infrastructure construction, the construction of urban and rural community service system must focus on improving the pattern of urban and rural community services, enhancing the supply of urban and rural community services, and improving the efficiency of urban and rural community services, Under the new requirements of improving people's quality of life, three major breakthroughs have been achieved in terms of concept, function, and logic: the service concept has shifted from "product supply" to "demand satisfaction", the service function has shifted from "bottom line guarantee" to "quality of life", and the service logic has shifted from "government catering" to "ordering from a hundred surnames".

Knowledge and attitudes of midwives towards collaboration with traditional birth attendants for maternal and neonatal healthcare services in rural communities in South Africa

ObjectivesWe assessed the knowledge and attitude of registered midwives towards collaborating with traditional birth attendants for maternal and neonatal healthcare services in rural communities. DesignA descriptive cross-sectional survey was followed in this study. ParticipantsRegistered midwives in selected clinics in the City of Tshwane Municipality. Participants were recruited by stratified random sampling. Data was collected at the Thirty-four primary healthcare facilities in Gauteng province, South Africa. Measurement and resultsA self-assessment questionnaire was administered to 304 registered midwives. Two-hundred and sixty respondents returned the questionnaire representing a response rate of 86.6 % which was statistically significant. The majority of Midwives in South Africa displayed a low level of knowledge (mean = 41.8, SD=1.7) on the role and practices of traditional birth attendants). Only 30.8 % (n = 80) of midwives knew of the roles of traditional birth attendants for maternal and neonatal healthcare (MNH) services. With respect to knowledge, there was significant associated with the Professional category (p < 0.015). In terms of attitude, registered midwives displayed negative attitudes towards collaborating with traditional birth attendants (mean = 46.8, SD=2.1). Approximately half (54.2 %, n = 140) of midwives were amenable towards collaborating in the provision of antenatal care, and 70.4 % (n = 183) of midwives agreed to collaborate with traditional birth attendants for extended roles such as accompanying women to health facilities. Association of demographic data and level of attitude showed there was significant relationship (p < 0.05) between registered midwives’ level of education and their attitude towards collaboration. Key conclusionsMidwives demonstrated positive attitude towards collaborating with traditional birth attendants at the antenatal care level only. Midwives were not amenable to collaboration at the level of intrapartum and postpartum care. Implications for practiceBased on our results, collaboration should be at antenatal care level to allow for early detection, treatment, and prevention of antenatal complications thus reducing maternal mortality and morbidity.

Health and Social Service Needs of People who Inject Drugs Living in Rural Settings in the United States: A Qualitative Study

Objective: Rural communities continue to be among the most severely affected by the opioid epidemic, showing some of the highest rates of overdose deaths and increasing rates of injection drug use. Lack of resources among other barriers contribute to the needs of this population going unmet. We assessed service needs among people who inject drugs (PWID) in rural regions, barriers to the implementation of these services, and optimal strategies to intervene with people who inject drugs, as well as to better link them to needed programs and services. Methods: We carried out thematic content analysis of 46 in-depth interviews with key respondents who worked with or had knowledge of the needs of PWID. Results: Respondents saw a need for increased access to services (eg, healthcare, harm reduction, addiction treatment), different treatment options, and education related to substance use as the most needed services among this population. Conclusions: Opioid use disorder interventions and initiatives must address these core service and education needs to best serve PWID. Increasing access to services in rural communities must be a priority for policymakers, local respondents, and healthcare providers.

Care‐driven informality: The case of community transport

AbstractNation‐wide cuts to bus subsidies have led to reduced service in rural communities in the UK, leaving those who do not have access to a car – most of whom are older, have a disability, or have a low income – with few other options to meet their travel needs. This has resulted in greater demand on community transport, small‐scale, local, and community‐based transport schemes that are run by the not‐for‐profit sector and are primarily volunteer‐run. Drawing on 28 interviews conducted with volunteers and staff from community transport schemes across Oxfordshire, this paper describes the provision of community transport schemes at the intersection of informal transport and an ethics of care. This sector is posited as informal, however; unlike many informal transport schemes, community transport is non‐entrepreneurial. Instead, these schemes emerge from the community and are care‐driven. Volunteers who run these schemes all provide skilled labour that is a practice of caring about, caring for, or care giving. This framing highlights the undervaluing of community transport. Indeed, the labour and schemes are underfunded and lack recognition. This study therefore emphasises the socio‐political nature of community transport and shows the importance of supporting caring transport services. It concludes by discussing how this undervalued sector might be re‐valorised so that it can continue to support those with few other transport options.

Telehealth and In-Person Behavioral Health Services in Rural Communities Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Multisite Prospective Cohort Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered widespread adjustments across the US health care system. Telehealth use showed a substantial increase in mental health conditions and services due to acute public health emergency (PHE) behavioral health needs on top of long-standing gaps in access to behavioral health services. How health systems that were already providing behavioral telehealth services adjusted services and staffing during this period has not been well documented, particularly in rural areas with chronic shortages of behavioral health providers and services. This study investigates patient and treatment characteristic changes from before the COVID-19 PHE to during the PHE within both telehealth and in-person behavioral health services provided in 95 rural communities across the United States. We used a nonrandomized, prospective, multisite research design involving 2 active treatment groups. The telehealth cohort included all patients who initiated telehealth treatment regimens during the data collection period. A comparison group included a cohort of patients who initiated in-person treatment regimen. Patient enrollment occurred on a rolling basis, and data collection was extended for 3 months after treatment initiation for each patient. Chi-square tests compared changes from pre-PHE to PHE time periods within telehealth and in-person treatment cohorts. The dependent measures included patient diagnosis, clinicians providing treatment services, and type of treatment services provided at each encounter. The 4780 patients in the telehealth cohort and the 6457 patients in the in-person cohort had an average of 3.5 encounters during the 3-month follow-up period. The encounters involving anxiety, dissociative, and stress-related disorders in the telehealth cohort increased from 30% (698/2352) in the pre-PHE period to 35% (4632/12,853) in the PHE period (P<.001), and encounters involving substance use disorders in the in-person cohort increased from 11% (468/4249) in the pre-PHE period to 18% (3048/17,047) in the PHE period (P<.001). The encounters involving treatment service codes for alcohol, drug, and medication-assisted therapy in the telehealth cohort increased from 1% (22/2352) in the pre-PHE period to 11% (1470/13,387) in the PHE period (P<.001); likewise, encounters for this type of service in the in-person cohort increased from 0% (0/4249) in the pre-PHE period to 16% (2687/17,047) in the PHE period (P<.001). From the pre-PHE to the PHE period, encounters involving 60-minute psychotherapy in the telehealth cohort increased from 8% (190/2352) to 14% (1802/13,387; P<.001), while encounters involving group therapy in the in-person cohort decreased from 12% (502/4249) to 4% (739/17,047; P<.001). The COVID-19 pandemic challenged health service providers, and they adjusted the way both telehealth and in-person behavioral therapy services were delivered. Looking forward, future research is needed to explicate the interaction of patient, provider, setting, and intervention factors that influenced the patterns observed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Perceptions of access to care after a rural hospital closure in an economically distressed county of Appalachian Tennessee.

The rise in rural hospital closures has sparked concern about the potential loss of essential health care services for rural communities. It is crucial to incorporate the perspectives of community residents, which have been largely missing from the literature, when devising strategies to improve health care for this population. The purpose of this study was to describe community residents' perceptions of access to care following a rural hospital closure in an economically distressed Appalachian county of Tennessee. This study used a qualitative descriptive approach to illustrate how community residents perceive accessing care post hospital closure. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 community residents via telephone in May through August of 2020. Interviews were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Five themes were identified based on Penchansky and Thomas' framework of health care: accessibility, availability, affordability, accommodation, and acceptability. Accessibility was identified as the most common concern among participants. Specifically, participants perceived longer travel times to receive care, reduced availability of emergency and specialty care, increased costs associated with ambulance services, and extended wait times to see providers. Our findings provide a critical perspective to inform local leaders and policymakers on the impacts of a hospital closure in a rural community. As rural hospitals continue to close, it is crucial to develop multi-level, community-driven solutions to ensure access to care for rural communities.

Women’s experience of obtaining health and social services following intimate partner violence: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer relationships in rural communities

The purpose of this secondary analysis was to explore the intersection of gender, sexuality, and rurality in a person’s experience of seeking health and social services following intimate partner violence (IPV). Data from the primary study, SPEAK: Sharing Personal Experiences of Accessibility and Knowledge of Violence, were used for this secondary analysis. This study reviewed the experience of women who identified as being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ) and lived in a rural community. With an intersectional lens, this study employed an interpretive description approach utilizing a case-study design, and the experiences of LGBTQ women who had experienced IPV seeking health and social services in rural communities were explored. Data collected from demographic questionnaires and one-to-one interviews indicated that gender and sexual identity present challenges when intersecting with rurality and IPV. Identifying as LGBTQ may hinder a woman’s ability to seek help from healthcare and social services. These findings may be useful to inform future practice and policies pertaining to resources and services available for rural LGBTQ women who have experienced IPV when seeking care.

Palliative care needs and preferences of older adults with advanced or serious chronic illnesses and their families in rural communities of Indiana, USA.

To explore the palliative care needs and preferences of older adults with advanced or serious chronic illnesses and their families. Also, to propose strategies to promote supportive palliative care in the rural communities of Indiana, USA. We conducted qualitative interviews to gather rural caregivers' experiences of palliative care. Recruitment was done in collaboration with community partners using social media, flyers, emails, invitations, and word-of-mouth. A purposive sample of family caregivers was obtained. All the interviews were conducted online. The average interview was 30-45 minutes. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Our findings showed 6 major themes that indicated several palliative care needs and preferences of older patients and their families in rural communities that include: (1) difficulties in pain and symptom burden; (2) perceived discrimination and lack of trust; (3) longer distances to care facilities; (4) difficult conversations; (5) caregiving burden; and (6) use of telehealth in a rural palliative care context. Rural family caregivers experience several social inequities and disparities causing a lack of access to and low utilization of palliative care. All these disparities cause several challenges for patients and their families trying to manage serious illnesses and die in place with peace and comfort. Inadequate access and lack of resources cause pain and distress for both patients and their families. Provider education and trainings, initiating early palliative care models, integrating behavioral health in palliative care, and using culturally congruent care delivery approaches in support of community partners can improve palliative care services in rural communities.

Key factors for sustainable operation of smart rural communities in aging societies: Voices of Korean community leaders

The purpose of this study is to identify the success factors for achieving sustainable operation of smart rural communities. Smart rural communities, enabled by smart technology, are regarded as a potential solution to the challenges posed by aging populations in Korea. However, the sustainable operation of smart rural communities is complex, as a variety of factors should be addressed. To address issues of aging problems in rural communities, this study proposes a priority factor for smart rural community service by applying an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method and in-depth interviews. The AHP model was designed based on a socio-technical system, and an AHP survey was conducted with community leaders who have experience in smart rural community projects. This study proposes a total of 4 criteria and 16 factors along with their corresponding priorities. The results indicate that the local culture is the most important for a sustainable smart rural community compared to other factors. Specifically, factors such as empathy of rural residents, stable financial support, and the presence of smart technology professionals and technical staff are critical for achieving successful smart rural communities for the elderly people. This study found that the cultural and human aspects are more critical for the sustainable operation of smart rural communities than technology infrastructure. The findings of this study provide valuable insights to other countries similar to Korea facing aging problems in rural areas planning to introduce smart rural communities.

Access To Oncology Services In Rural Areas: Influence Of The 340B Drug Pricing Program.

Rural-urban cancer disparities, including greater mortality rates, are partially attributable to the limited availability of oncology services in rural communities. Without these services, rural residents may experience delays in timely treatment and may be less likely to complete recommended care. The 340B Drug Pricing Program allows eligible not-for-profit and public hospitals to purchase covered outpatient drugs, including high-cost oncology drugs, at discounted prices. Using 2011-20 data, we evaluated the relationship between new enrollment in the 340B program and oncology services initiation in rural general acute care hospitals that lacked oncology services in 2011. Compared with hospitals that remained unenrolled in the 340B program through 2020, hospitals that enrolled during 2012-18 were 8.3percentage points more likely to have added oncology services as of 2020. The newly participating hospitals that added oncology services were disproportionately located in Medicaid expansion states and in counties with lower uninsurance rates. These findings suggest that the 340B program facilitates expanded access to oncology services in some rural communities, but opportunities remain to address disparities in the most disadvantaged service areas.

Perspectives of healthcare workers on the challenges with obstetric referrals in rural communities in Ghana: a descriptive phenomenology study

ObjectiveWe explored and document healthcare workers’ (HCWs’) perspectives on the challenges encountered during obstetric referrals.DesignThe study adopted a qualitative research approach and a descriptive phenomenology design. HCWs permanently working in...

Determinan Pemanfaatan Pos Kesehatan Desa (POSKESDES) Pada Keluarga Di Desa Keude Lueng Putu Kecamatan Bandar Baru Kabupaten Pidie Jaya

Village Health Posts (Poskesdes) are community-based health efforts (UKBM) established in villages in order to bring/provide basic health services for rural communities. Activities carried out include promotive, preventive, and curative activities including monitoring of nutritional status, as well as the health of pregnant women, disease management, preparedness and disaster management. The purpose of the study was to determine the determinants of the use of Village Health Posts (Poskesdes) in families in Keude Lueng Putu Village, Bandar Baru District, Pidie Jaya Regency. The research design used a quantitative method which was carried out by an analytical survey with a Cross Sectional Study approach. The population in this study was the entire community as many as 1,132 housewives. The sample used the purposive sampling technique of 91 housewives. Data analysis used univariate, bivariate and multivariate analysis. The results showed that there was an influence of knowledge p = 0.027, family support p = 0.004 and distance p = 0.037 variables that did not have a relationship, namely the attitude and support of health workers on the use of Village Health Posts (Poskesdes) in families in Keude Lueng Putu Village, Bandar Baru District. Pidie Jaya Regency. While the most dominant factor is family support p = 0.001, 95% CI = 2.655-39,141 with OR = 10,195. The conclusion of this study is that there is an influence of knowledge, family support and distance while the most dominant factor is family support for the use of Village Health Posts (Poskesdes) in families in Keude Lueng Putu Village, Bandar Baru District, Pidie Jaya Regency. It is recommended to Poskesdes officers to provide information and provide counseling to families in order to increase family knowledge so as to support other family members to take advantage of Poskesdes.

Connecting the "Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka" and Village Law Policies: Possible Contribution of College Students in Indonesia's Coastal Rural Development

Indonesian college students (mahasiswa) have a long tradition of participating in Indonesia’s rural development. Initiated in early 1971 by three national universities, the Kuliah Kerja Nyata program has served rural development by sending mass college students to participate in rural community service agendas. The ministry of education’s recent implementation of ”Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka” policies has expanded students’ opportunities to experience the learning process outside of universities. On the other hand, contemporary rural policies, through the implementation of Village Law 2014, have established village autonomy, thus creating a new space for various actors to participate and collaborate with the village government to conduct development programs. The paper argues that both policies have simultaneously emerged to connect each agenda, which could establish cooperation related to rural development. Here we intend to track and identify what and how students can participate in the rural development agenda by analyzing two different policies specifically in the east coast community of Lampung Province. It is expected that the policy analysis result could decipher various corridors and regulations that could support college students’ involvement in developing rural Indonesia.&#x0D; Keywords: rural development, higher education, village autonomy

Population Diversity Correlated to Increased County-Level Access to Palliative Care Services for Rural Communities (SA305B)

Population Diversity Correlated to Increased County-Level Access to Palliative Care Services for Rural Communities (SA305B)