Question

What are some of the biggest healthcare barriers in healthcare? Please be specific

Answer 1

A barrier to health care is anything that restricts the use of health services by making it more difficult for some individuals to access, use or benefit from care.Being aware of barriers to health care can help health professionals be more sensitive to the challenges faced by their patients. They can also take steps to reduce or overcome some of these barriers, help their patients to overcome others, and improve quality of care.

The following are some barriers in health care:

• Lack of care provider knowledge and skills - A health professional’s lack of knowledge can be a barrier to quality care.
• Lack of healthcare professionals in rural areas.
• Geographic barriers - In rural areas residents need to travel greater distances to access different points of the health care delivery system. Health care facilities in these areas are small and often provide limited services. Often, due to geographic distance, extreme weather conditions, environmental and climatic barriers, lack of public transportation, and challenging roads, rural residents may be limited/ prohibited from accessing health care services.
• Access to healthcare services and benefits - Timely access to emergency care is a major issue for rural residents. Response times by emergency medical personnel and transport times via ambulance to the hospital are notably greater than in urban areas.
• Transportation difficulties
• Limited health care supply
• Lack of quality health care
• Social isolation
• Financial constraints