Department of Kinesiology & Community Health, University of Illinois, 124A Huff Hall, MC 588, 1206 S. Fourth St., Champaign, IL 61820, USA.
J Community Health. 2012 Apr;37(2):501-6. doi: 10.1007/s10900-011-9470-7.
The number of medically uninsured people in the United States rose from 46 million in 2008 to an astonishing 50.7 million in 2009. This population is unable to seek medical care due, in part, to the decrease in employment-based health insurance and the increase in the cost of health care. Free health clinics exist to ensure access to health care by providing a safety net for underserved populations, ultimately decreasing health disparities among people of different socioeconomic statuses. The purpose of this study was to determine the demographic characteristics of the uninsured people who utilized a free health clinic and the purpose for their visits. Investigators gathered information from over 2,000 hand-written medical records to determine whether the demographic characteristics and health conditions of the uninsured differed from the general population. While there was no predominate medical condition in this population, special attention is needed to the prevention of smoking and obesity among the uninsured. This uninsured population had a significantly higher rate of smoking (P < 0.01) and obesity (P < 0.05) than the general population. In addition to treatment for medical conditions, 1 in 4 patients came for a physical exam. This study adds to the literature by describing characteristics of a free clinic population and their medical conditions. This research can contribute to the improvement of a health care delivery system that is challenged in providing access to medical care by low-income and uninsured populations.
美国未参保人数从 2008 年的 4600 万增加到 2009 年的惊人的 5070 万。由于就业型医疗保险的减少和医疗成本的增加，这部分人群无法寻求医疗服务。免费诊所的存在是为了通过为服务不足的人群提供医疗保障的安全网，确保获得医疗保健，最终减少不同社会经济地位人群之间的健康差距。本研究旨在确定使用免费诊所的未参保人群的人口统计学特征及其就诊目的。调查人员从 2000 多份手写病历中收集信息，以确定未参保人群的人口统计学特征和健康状况是否与一般人群不同。尽管该人群没有主要的疾病，但需要特别注意预防未参保人群中的吸烟和肥胖问题。与一般人群相比，该未参保人群的吸烟率（P<0.01）和肥胖率（P<0.05）显著更高。除了治疗疾病外，1/4 的患者是为了进行体检而来。本研究通过描述免费诊所人群的特征及其医疗状况，为文献增添了内容。这项研究可以为医疗保健提供系统的改进做出贡献，该系统在为低收入和未参保人群提供医疗服务方面面临挑战。
