Barriers to the access of people with disabilities to health services: a scoping review

Author(s)

Karina Aparecida Padilha Clemente ^[1] ; Simone Vieira da Silva ^[2] ; Gislene Inoue Vieira ^[3] ; Maritsa Carla de Bortoli ^[4] ; Tereza Setsuko Toma ^[5] ; Vinícius Delgado Ramos ^[6] ; Christina May Moran de Brito ^[7]

Affiliation

^[1] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina. Departamento de Medicina Legal, Ética Médica, Medicina Social e do Trabalho - Brasil

^[2] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina. Departamento de Medicina Legal, Ética Médica, Medicina Social e do Trabalho - Brasil

^[3] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina. Departamento de Medicina Legal, Ética Médica, Medicina Social e do Trabalho - Brasil

^[4] Secretaria de Estado da Saúde de São Paulo. Instituto de Saúde. Departamento de Ciência e Tecnologia - Brasil

^[5] Secretaria de Estado da Saúde de São Paulo. Instituto de Saúde. Departamento de Ciência e Tecnologia - Brasil

^[6] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina. Hospital das Clínicas - Brasil

^[7] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Medicina. Hospital das Clínicas - Brasil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Revista de Saúde Pública; v. 56, 2022-07-01.

Abstract

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To analyze the scientific evidence regarding barriers to the access of people with disabilities to health services. METHODS A scoping review was carried out from the main question: “What are the main barriers that people with disabilities face in accessing health services?” The articles were surveyed in July 2019 in six scientific literature databases. Of the 1,155 documents identified in the searches, after selection by title and abstract, 170 publications were read in full and, thus, 96 articles were included and categorized according to the theoretical framework. RESULTS The main barriers indicated by the users of the service were: communication failure between professionals and patient/caregiver; financial limitations; attitudinal/behavioral issues; scarce service provision; organizational and transport barriers. The main barriers presented by service providers were: lack of training to professionals; failure of the health system; physical barriers; lack of resources/technology; and language barriers. CONCLUSIONS It was evident that people with disabilities face several barriers when trying to access the health services they need and that users and health professionals have distinct and complementary views on difficulties. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/50358-0 - Strengthening the inclusion of people with disabilities in the health system in Brazil
• Grantee: Christina May Moran de Brito
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research in Public Policies