Few rural doctors pay home visits anymore, as the practice has become a liability. And when physicians aren't seeing patients at the clinic, they're bogged down in paperwork. Iowa ranks 44th in the nation in direct-patient-care physicians per capita. According to County Health Rankings & Roadmaps data, for every primary care provider in the state there are 1,381 individuals. The state is dead last in the number of obstetricians, gynecologists and emergency medicine physicians compared with the other states and the District of Columbia. Brian Monsma, Mercy Medical Center-Sioux City's vice president of network development, said hospital research shows patients living in rural Siouxland drive 10 miles on average to get to a clinic.
In a social media landscape shaped by hashtags, algorithms, and viral posts, nurse leaders must decide: Will they let the narrative spiral, or can they adapt and join the conversation?
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