Defining medical deserts-an international consensus-building exercise

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Systems Research
• Healthcare Access

Background:

• Medical deserts pose a significant public health and health systems challenge.
• The COVID-19 pandemic intensified disparities in healthcare access.
• A universally accepted definition of medical deserts was previously lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a consensus-based definition of medical deserts.
• To comprehensively explain the phenomenon of medical deserts.
• To create a definition applicable globally across diverse health systems.

Main Methods:

• A standard Delphi exercise was employed for consensus building.
• Phase 1 involved individual online meetings with key informants.
• Phase 2 consisted of two rounds of online surveys, followed by external stakeholder validation via email.

Main Results:

• A consensus definition of medical deserts was achieved in January 2023.
• The definition encompasses five major dimensions impacting healthcare access.
• These dimensions include insufficient health human resources or facilities, long waiting times, disproportionate costs, and socio-cultural barriers.

Conclusions:

• The five identified dimensions must be addressed to mitigate medical deserts.
• Key areas for intervention include health workforce and facility availability.
• Improving healthcare affordability, reducing wait times, and overcoming socio-cultural barriers are essential.