Examining the relationship between rural residents’ satisfaction with local hospital's COVID-19 response and intention to use the hospital

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of having emergency and acute care services close to home and emerged as an opportunity for hospital-community engagement. This study examined whether rural residents’ satisfaction with their local hospital's pandemic response was associated with improved community perception of the hospital and an intention to use it in the future. Methods: Data for the study were obtained from a survey of rural residents of 6 Georgia rural communities and analyzed using multivariable logistic regression and mediation analyses. Results: Rural residents’ satisfaction with their local hospital's pandemic response was associated with an improved perception of the hospital. Improvement in the perception of rural hospitals following the pandemic was found to partially mediate a positive association between community residents’ satisfaction with hospital pandemic response and the intention to use the hospital when needed. Conclusion: The COVID-response efforts may have given rural hospitals an opportunity to influence public perception.