Kamimura Akiko, Panahi Samin, Ahmmad Zobayer, Pye Mu, Ashby Jeanie
Department of Sociology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Maliheh Free Clinic, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Health Serv Res Manag Epidemiol. 2018 Jan 5;5:2333392817749681. doi: 10.1177/2333392817749681. eCollection 2018 Jan-Dec.
Nonfinancial barriers are frequent causes of unmet need in health-care services. The significance of transportation barriers can weigh more than the issues of access to care. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine transportation and other nonfinancial barriers among low-income uninsured patients of a safety net health-care facility (free clinic).
The survey data were collected from patients aged 18 years and older who spoke English or Spanish at a free clinic, which served uninsured individuals in poverty in the United States.
Levels of transportation barriers were associated with levels of other nonfinancial barriers. Higher levels of nonfinancial barriers were associated with elevation in levels of stress and poorer self-rated general health. Higher educational attainment and employment were associated with an increase in other nonfinancial barriers.
Focusing only on medical interventions might not be sufficient for the well-being of the underserved populations. Future studies should examine integrative care programs that include medical treatment and social services together and evaluate such programs to improve care for underserved populations.
非财务障碍是医疗服务中需求未得到满足的常见原因。交通障碍的重要性可能超过获得医疗服务的问题。这项横断面研究的目的是调查一家安全网医疗设施（免费诊所）中低收入未参保患者的交通及其他非财务障碍。
调查数据收集自年龄在18岁及以上、在美国一家为贫困未参保个人提供服务的免费诊所中讲英语或西班牙语的患者。
交通障碍水平与其他非财务障碍水平相关。较高水平的非财务障碍与压力水平升高和自评总体健康状况较差相关。较高的教育程度和就业与其他非财务障碍增加相关。
仅关注医疗干预措施可能不足以保障弱势群体的福祉。未来的研究应考察将医疗治疗和社会服务结合在一起的综合护理项目，并评估此类项目以改善对弱势群体的护理。
