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Access to general practitioner services: the disabled elderly lag behind in underserved areas
Basile Chaix1, Paul J Veugelers, Pierre-Yves Boëlle
1Research Unit in Epidemiology and Information Sciences, National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM U), France. chaix@u444.jussieu.fr
European Journal of Public Health
|June 9, 2005
Summary
Physician shortages disproportionately affect disabled elderly access to care. Living in areas with fewer general practitioners (GPs) significantly reduces healthcare consultations for this vulnerable group, highlighting an urgent public health concern.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Healthcare Access
- Geriatrics
Background:
- Physician underservice is linked to reduced healthcare consultations.
- Policymakers need data on subgroup access, particularly for the elderly and disabled elderly in underserved areas.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of general practitioner (GP) density on healthcare access for different age and disability groups.
- To determine if disabled elderly individuals face greater access restrictions in areas with low GP density.
Main Methods:
- Utilized multilevel Poisson models with a representative sample of 12,405 French individuals aged 18-75 from 1999.
- Analyzed the relationship between area-level GP density and the number of GP consultations in the past 12 months.
Main Results:
- Living in areas with low GP density significantly reduced primary care utilization, especially for the elderly.
- Disabled elderly individuals experienced a 244% increase in GP consultations when residing in high-GP-density areas compared to low-density areas.
Conclusions:
- Findings indicate that disabled elderly populations are particularly vulnerable to physician shortages in underserved areas.
- Urgent policy measures are needed to ensure adequate primary care access for the elderly, especially those with disabilities, to prevent future healthcare burdens.