Determination of health care priorities and expectations among rural consumers.

A probability sample of rural Kentucky residents was interviewed to determine felt need for a new health facility to replace the recently closed local hospital. When problems rather than solutions were stressed and semantic difficulties avoided, respondents identified a set of needs agreeing with those recognized by professional planners, but with important discrepancies in desired location. Data from diverse sources such as market research and traffic flow studies validated the expressed locational preferences as congruent with community behavior patterns, emphasizing the need for early solicitation of consumer attitudes and establishment of fully reciprocal communication.