Universal Access to Healthcare for Older Patients in Ethiopia: A Qualitative Analysis of Perspectives From Older Patients and Health Professionals (68499)
Session: On Demand
Room: Virtual Video Presentation
Presentation Type:Virtual Presentation
Background: Access to quality healthcare for older patients is a challenge worldwide, particularly in countries like Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to investigate the challenges of accessing healthcare among older patients in Ethiopia from the perspective of older patients and healthcare professionals. Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 older adults (60 years and older) and 26 health professionals including physicians and nurses purposively selected from health facilities in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using the reflexive thematic analysis approach. Results: Three themes were produced from our analysis of the data. First, participants stated that the physical and material infrastructure of health facilities were not convenient to provide specialised care for older patients. Second, they reported that specialised care services for older patients were highly limited or even absent. Third, they underlined limited geriatric expertise among health professionals as an additional challenge.
Conclusion: The lack of specialised care for older patients in Ethiopia leaves the older population vulnerable to more health challenges and gives rise to the ethical concern of justice in healthcare distribution. The findings could inform preparedness and health policy efforts targeted at the well-being of older adults in Ethiopia and other similar contexts. Moreover, there should be more efforts to advance geriatric training among health professionals and introduce departments that are intentionally designed for geriatric care in health facilities.
Authors:
Kirubel Mussie, University of Basel, Switzerland
Bettina Zimmermann, University of Basel, Switzerland
Bernice Elger, University of Basel, Switzerland
Jenny Setchell, The University of Queensland, Australia
Mirgissa Kaba, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
See this presentation on the full schedule – On Demand Schedule
Conference Comments & Feedback
Place a comment using your LinkedIn profileShare this Presentation
Comments
Powered by WP LinkPress