Suboptimal nonmedical qualities of primary care linked with care avoidance among people who use drugs in a Canadian setting amid an integrated health care reform.

ABSTRACT:

Background

People who use unregulated drugs (PWUD) often face significant barriers to-and thereby avoid seeking-health care. In Vancouver, Canada, a neighborhood-wide health care system reform began in 2016 to improve health care delivery and quality. In the wake of this reform, we sought to determine the prevalence of health care avoidance and its association with emergency department use among PWUD in this setting and examine patient-reported nonmedical qualities of health care ("responsiveness").

Methods

The study derived data from two prospective cohort studies of community-recruited PWUD in Vancouver in 2017-18. Responsiveness was ascertained by the World Health Organizations' standardized measurements and we evaluated seven domains of responsiveness (dignity, autonomy,

SUBMITTER: Moallef S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9886230 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature