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Harrison, Josephine A K, Thomson, Rachael, Banda, Hastings, Mbera, Grace, Gregorius, Stefanie, Stenberg, Berthe and Marshall, Tim (2020) 'Access to health care for people with disabilities in rural Malawi: what are the barriers?'. BMC Public Health, Vol 20, Issue 833.
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Abstract
Background
People with disabilities experience significant health inequalities. In Malawi, where most individuals live in low-income rural settings, many of these inequalities are exacerbated by restricted access to health care services. This qualitative study explores the barriers to health care access experienced by individuals with a mobility or sensory impairment, or both, living in rural villages in Dowa district, central Malawi. In addition, the impact of a chronic lung condition, alongside a mobility or sensory impairment, on health care accessibility is explored.
Methods
Using data from survey responses obtained through the Research for Equity And Community Health (REACH) Trust’s randomised control trial in Malawi, 12 adult participants, with scores of either 3 or 4 in the Washington Group Short Set (WGSS) questions, were recruited. The WGSS questions concern a person’s ability in core functional domains (including seeing, hearing and moving), and a score of 3 indicates ‘a lot of difficulty’ whilst 4 means ‘cannot do at all’. People with cognitive impairments were not included in this study. All who were selected for the study participated in an individual in-depth interview and full recordings of these were then transcribed and translated.
Results
Through thematic analysis of the transcripts, three main barriers to timely and adequate health care were identified: 1) Cost of transport, drugs and services, 2) Insufficient health care resources, and 3) Dependence on others. Attitudinal factors were explored and, whilst unfavourable health seeking behaviour was found to act as an access barrier for some participants, community and health care workers’ attitudes towards disability were not reported to influence health care accessibility in this study.
Conclusions
This study finds that health care access for people with disabilities in rural Malawi is hindered by closely interconnected financial, practical and social barriers. There is a clear requirement for policy makers to consider the challenges identified here, and in similar studies, and to address them through improved social security systems and health system infrastructure, including outreach services, in a drive for equitable health care access and provision.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | W General Medicine. Health Professions > Health Services. Patients and Patient Advocacy > W 85 Patients. Attitude and compliance W General Medicine. Health Professions > Health Services. Patients and Patient Advocacy > W 84 Health services. Delivery of health care WA Public Health > WA 20.5 Research (General) WA Public Health > Health Problems of Special Population Groups > WA 395 Health in developing countries WB Practice of Medicine > Therapeutics > WB 300 General works |
| Faculty: Department: | Biological Sciences > Department of Tropical Disease Biology |
| Digital Object Identifer (DOI): | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-08691-9 |
| Depositing User: | Kelly Smyth |
| Date Deposited: | 05 Jun 2020 08:03 |
| Last Modified: | 05 Jun 2020 08:03 |
| URI: | https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/14632 |
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