Improving rural health care in South Dakota

This study was designed to find ways to improve the quality of health care in rural settings. The study includes three components: a telephone survey of a rural community, a patient quiz, and interviews with ten rural family practice doctors in the southeast corner of South Dakota. This study was conducted in a rural community of about 1,500 people. The results of the survey suggest that rural health care can be improved by more education of the public on what is offered for preventative medicine, especially for the men 55 or younger, a female doctor who is willing to do obstetrical/gynecological services to meet the local demand, and physicians learning new procedures such as colonoscopy, colposcopy, and stress testing to better serve their patients.