CORE Posters Fall 2025

Development of an AI-based App. for Reducing Barriers to Care and Community Health Services in Rural and Remote Areas. Abban-Faidoo, E, Dalton, S, Kuchan, G, Lee, S, Lovill, K, Makarov, A, Shorey, P, Werth, J., Nicholson, J., Kadio, B. Department of Preventive Medicine

Group B

Results

Results

Introduction

Rural areas like Floyd County, Virginia, face persistent barriers to healthcare access. Despite efforts by the Tri Area Community Health Clinic and others like it, gaps remain in reaching patients. Our project conducted a needs assessment to develop a patient-centered AI tool to address barriers and connect individuals to Federally Qualified Health Center services (FQHS) and community resources.

Conclusions

Next Steps: Based on the feedback from the pilot study, the survey will be further distributed, and the subsequent phases will focus on developing and distributing a patient-centered AI tool for Tri-Area Community Health. The survey will be distributed in person at the Tri-Area Community Health clinic over approximately a month. The data gathered from these surveys will help direct the creation of the AI application.

Our goal is to improve healthcare accessibility and outcomes for underserved rural populations.

What could this AI application look like? Below is a working mockup of the proposed product.

Methods

The purpose of this initial survey phase was not to generate final conclusions, but rather to gauge where respondents currently stand and how they feel about the potential role of AI in their personal healthcare. Early responses suggest a range of attitudes, from cautious curiosity to notable interest.

Research Question: For the residents of Floyd, how might the implementation of a user-based AI model enhance access to FQHC services and community resources in comparison to traditional methods?

References

Participants: Recipients of services from the Tri-Area Community Health Clinic in Floyd, VA.

References

Needs Assessment Survey: A pilot needs assessment survey was conducted to evaluate current factors limiting patient access to care and community resources.The survey was designed using the Pechansky Model of Access to Care, which focuses on five dimensions: availability, accessibility, accommodation, affordability, and acceptability.

Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Bernard Kadio and Jess Nicholson for their guidance, and Tri-Area Healthcare, with special appreciation to Dr. Jim Werth and Mariam DiPasquale for their contributions. This project remains under IRB review.