Book excerpt: The fourth edition of the only text to focus on nursing concepts, theory, and practice in rural settings continues to provide comprehensive and evidence-based information to nursing educators, researchers, and policy-makers. The book presents a wealth of new information that expands upon the rural nursing theory base and greatly adds to our understanding of current rural health care issues. It retains seminal chapters that consider theory and practice, client and cultural perspectives, response to illness, and community roles in sustaining good health. Authored by contributors from the United States, Canada, and Australia, the text examines rural health issues from a national and international perspective. The 4th edition presents new chapters on: Border health issues Palliative care Research applications of rural nursing theory Resilience in rural elders Vulnerabilities Health disparities Social disparities in health Use of rural hospitals in nursing education Establishing nursing education following disaster Public health accreditation in rural and frontier counties Developing the workforce to meet the needs for rural practice, research, and theory development Key Features: Provides a single-source reference on rural nursing concepts, theory, and practice Covers critical issues regarding nursing practice in sparsely populated regions Presents a national and international focus Updates content and includes a wealth of new information Designed for nurse educators and students at the graduate level