Children in rural areas face increasing barriers to pediatric care, study finds
Hospital beds for children with asthma, pneumonia, viral infections, and other serious illnesses have declined in the last 10 years, mainly in rural areas. In a new study published Monday in Pediatrics, researchers found that the percentage of U.S. hospitals with inpatient units for pediatric care decreased, as did the number of beds in units that remained open.
The number of inpatient units fell 19%, and beds decreased by 12%. Approximately 34 pediatric units were closed and 300 beds were removed each year on average. The closures and loss of beds were especially steep in rural areas than in urban areas. Nearly 1 in 4 children would now have to travel farther to access inpatient hospital care than they did a decade ago, the researchers found.
