Forty-six million Americans, or 15 percent of the population, live in rural areas and often have difficulty obtaining needed healthcare services. Remote location, coupled with economic, cultural, educational, and social factors, combine to create a range of health challenges for these populations. For example, rural residents experience higher rates of chronic diseases and disability and death from injuries than residents of cities and suburbs.

PCORI is addressing these issues by funding research that seeks to improve care and outcomes among rural populations, focusing both on residents of rural areas and the conditions that impose greater burdens on them than others.