Lecture 31- Barriers to Public Health

Access

ability to obtain and to actually receive preventive and primary eye, vision and health care services

HP 2020 AHS-3: Increase proportion of persons with a usual primary care provider

Baseline- 76.3%

Target: 83.9%

Barriers

factors which impede people from being able to access health care prior to any care being delivered or needed, during its actual delivery or provision, or long term and follow-up care

Some barriers to eye care

Health literacy, insurance, money/economic, etc.

Most common surgery paid for by Medicare

cataract surgery (3.1 million extraction of lenses in 2006)

Health System as barrier to healthcare

always in flux; not truly integrated and is fragmented/episodic;

Social-cultural barriers

demographic characteristics of people and factors that define them socially; beliefs and values may limit access to care

Culture

integrated patterns of human behavior and is a dynamic concept and is continually changing with changes in society, knowledge, discoveries, and beliefs

Baltimore eye Study

AA twice as likely to be blind or visually impaired than the white participants

Reason why older African Americans didn't access ECP

access, cost, and trust

Health literacy

a person's capacity to learn about and understand basic health information and services, and to use these resources to promote one's health and wellness