Locational Aspects of Medical Care-Seeking in a Rural Population, with Some Implications for Public Policy Research

The published literature suggests that two factors affect where people seek medical care: the characteristics of the population and the organization of the health care delivery system. In this study, survey data from a rural west Texas population were used to evaluate the relative importance of these factors in determining whether individuals are affiliated with an urban or rural source of care. Population characteristics appear to be the more important determinants; in fact, where people seek care may not be substantially altered by restructuring the organizational and geographic components of the health care delivery system.