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. 2022 Jun 15;19(12):7351.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19127351.

Enablers and Barriers of Accessing Health Care Services among Older Adults in South-East Asia: A Scoping Review

Nurul Syuhada Mohd Rosnu  1 , Devinder Kaur Ajit Singh  1 , Arimi Fitri Mat Ludin  1 , Wan Syafira Ishak  1 , Mohd Harimi Abd Rahman  2 , Suzana Shahar  1
Affiliations

Enablers and Barriers of Accessing Health Care Services among Older Adults in South-East Asia: A Scoping Review

Nurul Syuhada Mohd Rosnu et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

South-East Asia (SEA) is the home of the largest number of the world's older population. In this scoping review, we aimed to map the existing enablers and barriers of accessing healthcare services among older adults in SEA countries. Articles that were published from January 2001 until November 2021 were searched in four data sources (PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO Host and The Cochrane Library). Studies pertaining to the factors which assist or obstruct older Southeast Asian adults from assessing healthcare services were chosen for this scoping review. First, two reviewers screened the titles and abstracts of articles in the data sources. After identifying appropriate articles, the reviewers read them. Data extracted by one reviewer were verified by the other reviewer. The findings were then classified according to Penchansky and Thomas's five domains of access. A total of 19 studies were included in the final scoping review. Accessibility and acceptability were the two factors most often identified as enablers or barriers to older adults from accessing healthcare. Other often mentioned factors were finances, transportation and social/family support. Older adults living in rural areas were especially impacted by these factors. To promote healthy ageing, optimum healthcare and wellbeing among older adults in Southeast Asia, it is extremely important to consider accessibility and acceptability when planning healthcare services.

Keywords: South-East Asia; accessibility; barriers; enablers; healthcare; older adults.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram. The PRISMA diagram details the search and selection process applied during our systematic literature search for this scoping review. PRISMA, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Conceptual framework of access adapted from Aday and Andersen (1974) [47]. Factors highlighted in bold are the main findings from this review.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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