CHANGES IN THE ACUTE HEALTH CARE DELIVERY SYSTEMS OF RURAL ENERGY IMPACT COMMUNITIES IN TEXAS DURING THE ENERGY IMPACT CYCLE (BOOMTOWNS, RAPIDLY GROWING, ECONOMICALLY, DEPRESSED).
Contributors: University of Texas at Austin.
Published: 1985
Number of pages: 448
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: This study examined what changes occurred in the acute health care delivery systems of rural Texas oil and gas communities during the energy impact cycle, i.e., pre-impact, impact, and post-impact. Its purpose was to identify what changes occurred in the emergency medical services', the health care provider offices', and the hospitals' health manpower resources, service capabilities, operational status, physical infrastructures, and health care clients during the energy impact cycle.

A retrospective survey design was used to study five selected rural oil and gas communities in Texas. The communities selected were located more than 50 miles from a Metropolitan Statistical Area, had a population that did not exceed 20,000 in either the 1970 or 1980 census, had experienced oil and gas activities within the past decade, had not experienced any other type of energy development in the past decade, and had a minimum of one hospital, emergency medical service, and health care provider office.

Data were collected from (1) interviews with agency representatives from emergency medical services, health care provider offices, and hospitals, (2) interviews with community residents, and (3) surveys of the emergency medical services, health care provider offices, and hospitals. The survey data were collected for the three one-year periods of time that best corresponded with the community's pre-impact, impact, and post-impact experience.

Findings indicate that during the energy impact cycle changes occurred in the health manpower resources, service capabilities, operational status, physical infrastructures, and health care clients. During post-impact, as compared to pre-impact, there were more health manpower resources, more specialized equipment, more community outreach programs, more expanded or remodeled service areas, and more clients. Other changes that were not so positive included fewer hospital beds, a deteriorating financial status, and more health care clients with life threatening conditions. Overall, the findings give evidence that these changes enabled the acute health care delivery system to better delivery primary and acute care services. Further research is recommended to enlarge the database and to determine the relationship of these changes to the energy impact cycle.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-02, Section: B, page: 0572.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, 1985.

School code: 0227.