Understanding the culture of primary health care: implications for clinical practice

A qualitative, ethnographic study was undertaken to determine whether older women experienced barriers to health care related to gender and power relations within biomedical culture. A feminist perspective was utilized, incorporating concepts from critical medical anthropology. Data collection methods included individual interviews, focus groups and participant observation. The participants were active in guiding the research and validating the findings. Barriers related to gender and age were observed during primary health care visits, although they were not always directly apparent to the women. There is evidence to suggest that older women's ability to access primary health care depends on the degree of cultural connectedness they encounter within their particular health care facility. Using the findings of this study, a theoretical model is proposed to understand the culture of primary health care within a critical and cultural context.