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Medical Care Avoidance Among Older Adults
Bryan Leyva1, Jennifer M Taber2, Amal N Trivedi1,3
1Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
Summary
Nearly a quarter of older adults avoid medical care due to discomfort with exams or fear of serious illness. Quality of care and provider communication significantly influence this avoidance behavior in seniors.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Health Services Research
- Medical Sociology
Background:
- Medical care avoidance is a significant issue among older adults.
- Understanding the drivers of this behavior is crucial for improving healthcare access for this demographic.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the factors and underlying reasons contributing to medical care avoidance in older adults (aged 65 and above) within the United States.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from 2,155 adults aged 65+ who participated in the 2008 Health Information National Trends Survey.
- Quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to examine reasons for medical care avoidance.
Main Results:
- Approximately 22.5% of older adults reported avoiding medical care.
- Key reasons included discomfort during physical examinations (34.5%) and fear of a serious diagnosis (35.9%).
- Avoidance was more prevalent in individuals with poorer self-reported health, psychological distress, lower health self-efficacy, and diminished trust in healthcare providers and quality of care.
Conclusions:
- Medical care avoidance in older adults is strongly linked to their perceptions of healthcare quality and the communication dynamics with healthcare providers.
- Addressing patient concerns about examinations, fear of illness, and enhancing provider communication are vital strategies to mitigate care avoidance.
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