Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 3, 2026

Characterization of the Sense of Agency over the Actions of Neural-machine Interface-operated Prostheses
Published on: January 7, 2019
Improving access: modifying Penchansky and Thomas's Theory of Access
1Broken Hill University Department of Rural Health, University of Sydney, Australia emily.saurman@sydney.edu.au.
This study introduces awareness as a crucial missing dimension in healthcare access theory. Incorporating awareness enhances the fit between users and services for better healthcare access outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Healthcare Management
- Public Health Policy
Background:
- Healthcare access is critical for equitable health outcomes.
- Existing theories define access by dimensions like accessibility, availability, acceptability, affordability, and adequacy.
- These dimensions guide service design, implementation, and evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose 'awareness' as a fifth, integral dimension to the established theory of healthcare access.
- To argue for the inclusion of awareness in the assessment and optimization of healthcare services.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis and theoretical extension of Penchansky and Thomas's access theory.
- Literature review on existing dimensions of healthcare access.
- Argumentation for the inclusion of a new dimension.
Main Results:
- Awareness is identified as a critical, yet overlooked, component of healthcare access.
- The proposed 'awareness' dimension is independent yet interconnected with existing dimensions.
- Integrating awareness is essential for a comprehensive understanding of user-service fit.
Conclusions:
- The theory of healthcare access should be expanded to include awareness as a core dimension.
- Awareness is fundamental for optimizing the fit between users and healthcare services.
- Future research and practice should incorporate awareness in evaluating and improving healthcare access.
More Related Videos
06:16Involving Individuals with Developmental Language Disorder and Their Parents/Carers in Research Priority Setting
Published on: June 6, 2020
08:24The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
Published on: August 25, 2023
Related Concept Videos
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
Reason and Intuition
Social Facilitation
Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development from Childhood into Adulthood
Schemata: Building Blocks of Knowledge
Schemata...
Revisionist Views of Adolescent and Adult Cognition
Automatic Processing and Automatic Social Behavior