Using mixed methods to understand and tackle barriers to accessing health services
This report describes the experience and lessons learnt from designing and implementing a combined quantitative and qualitative method to assess barriers to accessing health services. This approach was developed to study barriers to access in five dimensions: availability; geographical, financial, a...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:92c76f4f4974476d8dee5dcde6029cc7 2023-09-26T15:15:12+02:00 Using mixed methods to understand and tackle barriers to accessing health services Natalia Houghton Ernesto Bascolo Andrés Coitiño Theadora S. Koller James Fitzgerald 2023-08-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2023.117 https://doaj.org/article/92c76f4f4974476d8dee5dcde6029cc7 EN ES PT eng spa por Pan American Health Organization https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/57874 https://doaj.org/toc/1020-4989 https://doaj.org/toc/1680-5348 1020-4989 1680-5348 doi:10.26633/RPSP.2023.117 https://doaj.org/article/92c76f4f4974476d8dee5dcde6029cc7 Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública, Vol 47, Iss 117, Pp 1-8 (2023) barriers to access of health services health systems research design evaluation study americas Medicine R Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 article 2023 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2023.117 2023-08-27T00:38:30Z This report describes the experience and lessons learnt from designing and implementing a combined quantitative and qualitative method to assess barriers to accessing health services. This approach was developed to study barriers to access in five dimensions: availability; geographical, financial, and organizational accessibility; acceptability; contact; and effective coverage. The study design was used in six countries in the World Health Organization Region of the Americas. The findings highlight the importance of having a well defined analysis framework and the benefits of adopting a mixed-methods approach. Using existing data and contextualizing findings according to specific population groups and geographical areas were essential for relevance and utilization of the study outcomes. The findings demonstrate the feasibility of using mixed methods to understand the complexity of access problems faced by different subpopulations. By involving decision-makers from the beginning and allowing flexibility for sustained discussions, the analysis and findings had an impact. The engagement of health authorities and key stakeholders facilitated the use of the findings for collaborative identification of policy options to eliminate access barriers. Lessons learnt from the study emphasized the need for active participation of decision-makers, flexibility in the process, and sustained opportunities for discussion to ensure impact. Giving consideration to local priorities and adapting the methods accordingly were important for the relevance and use of the findings. Future efforts could consider incorporating mixed methods into national and local monitoring and evaluation systems. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública 47 1 |
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Open Polar |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
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ftdoajarticles |
language |
English Spanish Portuguese |
topic |
barriers to access of health services health systems research design evaluation study americas Medicine R Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 |
spellingShingle |
barriers to access of health services health systems research design evaluation study americas Medicine R Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 Natalia Houghton Ernesto Bascolo Andrés Coitiño Theadora S. Koller James Fitzgerald Using mixed methods to understand and tackle barriers to accessing health services |
topic_facet |
barriers to access of health services health systems research design evaluation study americas Medicine R Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 |
description |
This report describes the experience and lessons learnt from designing and implementing a combined quantitative and qualitative method to assess barriers to accessing health services. This approach was developed to study barriers to access in five dimensions: availability; geographical, financial, and organizational accessibility; acceptability; contact; and effective coverage. The study design was used in six countries in the World Health Organization Region of the Americas. The findings highlight the importance of having a well defined analysis framework and the benefits of adopting a mixed-methods approach. Using existing data and contextualizing findings according to specific population groups and geographical areas were essential for relevance and utilization of the study outcomes. The findings demonstrate the feasibility of using mixed methods to understand the complexity of access problems faced by different subpopulations. By involving decision-makers from the beginning and allowing flexibility for sustained discussions, the analysis and findings had an impact. The engagement of health authorities and key stakeholders facilitated the use of the findings for collaborative identification of policy options to eliminate access barriers. Lessons learnt from the study emphasized the need for active participation of decision-makers, flexibility in the process, and sustained opportunities for discussion to ensure impact. Giving consideration to local priorities and adapting the methods accordingly were important for the relevance and use of the findings. Future efforts could consider incorporating mixed methods into national and local monitoring and evaluation systems. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Natalia Houghton Ernesto Bascolo Andrés Coitiño Theadora S. Koller James Fitzgerald |
author_facet |
Natalia Houghton Ernesto Bascolo Andrés Coitiño Theadora S. Koller James Fitzgerald |
author_sort |
Natalia Houghton |
title |
Using mixed methods to understand and tackle barriers to accessing health services |
title_short |
Using mixed methods to understand and tackle barriers to accessing health services |
title_full |
Using mixed methods to understand and tackle barriers to accessing health services |
title_fullStr |
Using mixed methods to understand and tackle barriers to accessing health services |
title_full_unstemmed |
Using mixed methods to understand and tackle barriers to accessing health services |
title_sort |
using mixed methods to understand and tackle barriers to accessing health services |
publisher |
Pan American Health Organization |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2023.117 https://doaj.org/article/92c76f4f4974476d8dee5dcde6029cc7 |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic |
genre_facet |
Arctic |
op_source |
Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública, Vol 47, Iss 117, Pp 1-8 (2023) |
op_relation |
https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/57874 https://doaj.org/toc/1020-4989 https://doaj.org/toc/1680-5348 1020-4989 1680-5348 doi:10.26633/RPSP.2023.117 https://doaj.org/article/92c76f4f4974476d8dee5dcde6029cc7 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2023.117 |
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Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública |
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47 |
container_start_page |
1 |
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1778136143708028928 |