Buchanan Robert J, Wang Suojin, Zhu Li, Kim MyungSuk
College of Health and Human Services, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28223-0001, USA.
J Rural Health. 2004 Winter;20(1):85-91. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-0361.2004.tb00012.x.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common neurologic disease that disables younger adults, affecting as many as 350,000 Americans.
The objectives of this study are to develop profiles of nursing home residents with MS from rural areas and compare them to residents with MS who lived in urban areas, suburban areas, and large towns.
We analyzed all admission assessments for residents with MS (13,357 assessments) in the Minimum Data Set between June 23, 1998, and December 31, 2000, that also had the resident's ZIP code of primary residence before admission.
Urban and rural comparisons of residents with MS demonstrate a range of significant demographic differences. Significantly greater proportions of MS residents from rural areas exhibited a sense of initiative or involvement in activities of the nursing facility compared with residents with MS from urban and suburban areas. The differences in the utilization of physical and occupational therapies were striking, with MS residents from rural areas averaging significantly fewer minutes of these therapies. We also found that MS residents from rural areas averaged fewer minutes of psychological therapy in the nursing facility and also were less likely to have seen a licensed mental health specialist than MS residents from urban areas.
Nursing home residents with MS from rural areas receive fewer therapies and less mental health care than residents with MS from other areas.
多发性硬化症（MS）是导致年轻人残疾的最常见神经系统疾病，影响多达35万美国人。
本研究的目的是描绘农村地区患有MS的疗养院居民的概况，并将他们与居住在城市、郊区和大城镇的患有MS的居民进行比较。
我们分析了1998年6月23日至2000年12月31日期间最小数据集（Minimum Data Set）中所有患有MS的居民的入院评估（13357次评估），这些评估还包含居民入院前主要居住地的邮政编码。
对患有MS的居民进行城乡比较，发现了一系列显著的人口统计学差异。与城市和郊区患有MS的居民相比，农村地区患有MS的居民表现出更强的主动性或参与疗养院活动的比例显著更高。物理治疗和职业治疗的使用差异显著，农村地区患有MS的居民接受这些治疗的平均时长明显更少。我们还发现，农村地区患有MS的居民在疗养院接受心理治疗的平均时长更少，而且与城市地区患有MS的居民相比，他们看有执照的心理健康专家的可能性也更小。
与其他地区患有MS的居民相比，农村地区患有MS的疗养院居民接受的治疗和心理健康护理更少。
