Straub and Walzer have assembled a well-balanced collection of articles by experts in the field of health care, beginning with two which explore the changing populations and economies of rural areas. Successive chapters explain issues such as recent developments in home patient care, cost-saving innovations, and the pros and cons of rural HMOs. Of special note are those essays which project the future of health care and provide alternative approaches to health care services such as the viability of the rural hospital in the future; progressive non-hospital options; and ways to maximize resources in the years to come. Since this detailed work investigates the major facets of the struggling rural health care system, it will prove valuable not only to health care officials, but also to health care and social science faculty, and to state and local officials whose understanding of health care issues directly affects their policy making.

Delivering health care to rural populations in comparison to urban populations requires unique considerations due to the geographic, social and cultural differences that must be taken into consideration. These volumes provide a basis for anticipating issues and options confronting rural nurses in the future. The first volume discusses background and theory necessary for the study of rural nursing and vulnerable rural populations such as pregnant women, heart patients and people with AIDS. Addressing a wide range of concerns of interest to rural nurses, Rural Nursing makes a much-needed contribution to the literature of the field.