Wait,Won't! Want: Barriers to Health Care as Perceived by Medically and Socially Disenfranchised Communities

Abstract

Objectives

We explored barriers to healthcare as perceived by members of medically and socially disenfranchised communities. Methods. We conducted focus groups with 28 women and 32 men from Northeast Ohio who identified themselves as African-American, Hispanic/Latino, lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgendered, and/or Russian immigrant.

Results

Participants described their experiences of waiting, things they won't tolerate, when they won't participate, and what they want from providers. They described behaviors, actions and relationship characteristics that they want from their providers and characteristics that they prefer in health systems.

Conclusions

The themes of Wait, Won't, and Want have healthcare practice and policy implications. Patient-provider interactions are known to be significant determinants of healthcare outcomes and these exploratory findings suggest that they might also affect patient self-management strategies. Future efforts should focus on developing and testing patient-centered strategies that address the themes identified to increase engagement to increase self-management of health.