Prevalence of unmet health care need in older adults in 83 countries: measuring progressing towards universal health coverage in the context of global population ageing.
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Date
2023-09-15
Open Access Location
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BioMed Central Ltd
Rights
(c) 2023 WHO
CC BY 3.0 IGO
CC BY 3.0 IGO
Abstract
Current measures for monitoring progress towards universal health coverage (UHC) do not adequately account for populations that do not have the same level of access to quality care services and/or financial protection to cover health expenses for when care is accessed. This gap in accounting for unmet health care needs may contribute to underutilization of needed services or widening inequalities. Asking people whether or not their needs for health care have been met, as part of a household survey, is a pragmatic way of capturing this information. This analysis examined responses to self-reported questions about unmet need asked as part of 17 health, social and economic surveys conducted between 2001 and 2019, representing 83 low-, middle- and high-income countries. Noting the large variation in questions and response categories, the results point to low levels (less than 2%) of unmet need reported in adults aged 60+ years in countries like Andorra, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Slovenia, Thailand and Viet Nam to rates of over 50% in Georgia, Haiti, Morocco, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe. While unique, these estimates are likely underestimates, and do not begin to address issues of poor quality of care as a barrier or contributing to unmet need in those who were able to access care. Monitoring progress towards UHC will need to incorporate estimates of unmet need if we are to reach universality and reduce health inequalities in older populations.
Description
Keywords
Adult, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Health service needs and demand, Health services research, Older adult, Humans, Aged, Prevalence, Universal Health Insurance, Aging, Health Facilities, Income
Citation
Kowal P, Corso B, Anindya K, Andrade FCD, Giang TL, Guitierrez MTC, Pothisiri W, Quashie NT, Reina HAR, Rosenberg M, Towers A, Vicerra PMM, Minicuci N, Ng N, Byles J. (2023). Prevalence of unmet health care need in older adults in 83 countries: measuring progressing towards universal health coverage in the context of global population ageing.. Popul Health Metr. 21. 1. (pp. 15-).