"It Shouldn't Be This Hard": Women's Experiences Accessing Health Care While Living With a Low Income

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Qualitative Health Research
• Sociology of Health

Background:

• Equitable access to healthcare is a Canadian standard, yet women with low incomes face significant barriers.
• Low-income women experience higher rates of mental health issues and adverse health behaviors.
• Existing research on healthcare access for equity-deserving women often lacks narrative and performative analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the lived experiences and narratives of women with low incomes accessing healthcare services in Kingston, Canada.
• To apply dialogic and performative analysis to secondary qualitative data.
• To understand how storytelling shapes identity and social reality in the context of healthcare access.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative secondary data analysis of interview/focus group transcripts from a primary study.
• Framing participants' accounts as theatrical scenes to analyze structural and emotional dynamics.
• Utilizing dialogic and performative analysis to examine narrative interactions.

Main Results:

• Key themes emerged: "rejection and exclusion," "health care information," and "the need for reassurance and trust."
• Social determinants like housing, food access, and transportation significantly impacted healthcare access.
• Despite systemic barriers, participants demonstrated resilience and adaptation.

Conclusions:

• Women's healthcare access stories reveal critical system failures and the profound impact of social determinants.
• There is a pressing need for redesigned healthcare systems prioritizing equity, compassion, and clear communication.
• A narrative approach effectively illuminates the lived realities of marginalized populations in healthcare settings.