Suboptimal nonmedical qualities of primary care linked with care avoidance among people who use drugs in a Canadian setting amid an integrated health care reform

Original research
by
Moallef, Soroush et al

Release Date

2022

Geography

Canada

Language of Resource

English

Open Access / OK to Reproduce

No

Peer Reviewed

Yes

Objective

We sought to determine the prevalence of health care avoidance and its association with emergency department use among PWUD and examine patient-reported nonmedical qualities of health care (“responsiveness”).

Findings/Key points

  • About a quarter of our sample of people who use unregulated drugs (PWUD) reported avoiding seeking healthcare for health issues, most commonly for chronic pain and infections.
  • Participants who avoided care were significantly more likely to report emergency department use, after adjustment for potential confounders.
  • All measured non-medical care qualities were found to be sub-optimal and linked with care avoidance, particularly domains of prompt attention, communication, and respect for dignity and autonomy.

Design/methods

Data from two prospective cohort studies

Keywords

Barriers and enablers
About PWUD
Hospitals
Hesitancy of prescribers
Equity
Chronic pain
Stigma