Young adults' healthcare utilisation and healthcare needs: Perceptions and experiences of healthcare providersShow others and affiliations
2022 (English)In: Health Expectations, ISSN 1369-6513, E-ISSN 1369-7625, Vol. 25, no 1, p. 245-253
Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Sustainable development
SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Abstract [en]
BACKGROUND: Health care in many countries entails long waiting times. Avoidable healthcare visits by young adults have been identified as one probable cause.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore healthcare providers' experiences and opinions about young adults' healthcare utilisation in the first line of care.
METHOD: This study used latent qualitative conventional content analysis with focus groups. Four healthcare units participated: two primary healthcare centres and two emergency departments. This study included 36 participants, with 4-7 participants in each group, and a total of 21 registered nurses and 15 doctors. All interviews followed an interview guide.
RESULTS: Data were divided into eight categories, which all contained the implicit theme of distribution of responsibility between the healthcare provider and the healthcare user. Young adult healthcare consumers were considered to be highly influenced by external resources, often greatly concerned with small/vague symptoms they had difficulty explaining and unable to wait with. The healthcare provider's role was much perceived as being part of a healthcare structure-a large organisation with multiple units-and having to meet different priorities while also considering ethical dilemmas, though feeling supported by experience.
CONCLUSION: Healthcare personnel view young adults as transferring too much of the responsibility of staying healthy to the healthcare system. The results of this study show that the discussion of young adults unnecessarily seeking health care includes an underlying discussion of scarcity of resources.
PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: The conduct of this study is based on interviews with young adult patients about their experiences of seeking healthcare.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
John Wiley & Sons, 2022. Vol. 25, no 1, p. 245-253
Keywords [en]
Humans, young adults, Young Adult, Qualitative Research, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Health Personnel, Focus Groups, Delivery of Health Care, Emergency Service, Hospital, healthcare providers, content analysis, healthcare utilisation, self-care
National Category
Nursing
Research subject
Health and Caring Sciences, Nursing
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-112050DOI: 10.1111/hex.13370ISI: 000704807400001PubMedID: 34624154Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85116565059Local ID: 2021OAI: oai:DiVA.org:lnu-112050DiVA, id: diva2:1655825
2022-05-032022-05-032022-05-12Bibliographically approved