Exploring Primary Healthcare Experiences and Interest in Mobile Technology Engagement Amongst an Urban Population Experiencing Barriers to Care

Mobile phone-based engagement approaches provide potential platforms for improving access to primary healthcare (PHC) services for underserved populations. We held two focus groups (February 2020) with residents ( = 25) from a low-income urban neighbourhood (downtown Vancouver, Canada), to assess re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Qualitative health research Vol. 33; no. 8-9; p. 765
Main Authors: Pakhomova, Tatiana E, Nicholson, Valerie, Fischer, Matthew, Ferguson, Joanna, Moore, David M, Salters, Kate, Lester, Richard T, Kremer, Hayden, Dawydiuk, Nicole, Barrios, Rolando, Parashar, Surita
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States 01.07.2023
Subjects:
care retention
primary healthcare
stigma
digital health
socio-structural marginalization
mobile phones
mHealth
ISSN:1049-7323
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Summary:Mobile phone-based engagement approaches provide potential platforms for improving access to primary healthcare (PHC) services for underserved populations. We held two focus groups (February 2020) with residents ( = 25) from a low-income urban neighbourhood (downtown Vancouver, Canada), to assess recent healthcare experiences and elicit interest in mobile phone-based healthcare engagement for underserved residents. Note-based analysis, guided by interpretative description, was used to explore emerging themes. Engagement in PHC was complicated by multiple, intersecting personal-level and socio-structural factors, and experiences of stigma and discrimination from care providers. Perceived inadequacy of PHC services and pervasive discrimination reported by participants indicate a significant and ongoing need to improve client-provider relationships to address unmet health needs. Mobile phone-based engagement was endorsed, highlighting phone ownership and client-provider text-messaging, facilitated by non-clinical staff such as peers, as helpful to strengthening retention and facilitating care team connection. Concerns raised included reliability, cost, and technology and language accessibility.
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ISSN:1049-7323
DOI:10.1177/10497323231167829