Rural-Urban Disparities in Otolaryngology: The State of Illinois

Objectives/Hypothesis To highlight rural-urban disparities in otolaryngology, and to quantify the disparities in access to otolaryngology specialist care across Illinois. Several studies across disciplines have shown increased prevalence and severity of disease in rural communities, relative to their urban counterparts. There is very little published quantifying a disparity in rural access to otolaryngologists. Study Design Population study. Methods Counties in Illinois were classified based on urbanization level on a scale from I (most urban) to VI (least urban) using the 2013 National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Urban-Rural Classification scheme. The six urbanization levels include four metropolitan (I-IV) and two nonmetropolitan levels (V and VI). The name and practice location of all registered otolaryngologists in Illinois were collected using the American Academy of Otolaryngology website (). Population data were recorded from the most recent US Census (2010). Results Two hundred seventy-eight academy-registered otolaryngologists were identified in Illinois. One hundred fifty-one of these providers were located in a single county categorized as a level I by the NCHS scheme. There are over 18,000 square miles and 600,000 persons living in NCHS level VI counties in Illinois with zero registered otolaryngologists. Overall, metropolitan counties (I-IV) averaged 1.32 otolaryngologists per 100,000 population, whereas nonmetropolitan counties (V and VI) averaged 0.46 otolaryngologists per 100,000 (P < .01). Conclusions There is a paucity of academy-certified otolaryngologists with primary practice locations in rural counties of Illinois. There is a significant rural population and massive land area with limited spatial access to otolaryngologic specialist care. Level of Evidence NALaryngoscope, 2020