Access to Services

Access is defined as the opportunity or ease with which consumers or communities are able to use appropriate services in proportion to their needs.
Four main dimensions of access are described: geographic accessibility, availability, financial accessibility, and acceptability.
The level of access to health care is determined by the “degree of fit” between individuals or communities and the health system.

Sources:

Levesque, J.-F., Harris, M. F., & Russell, G. (2013). Patient-centred access to health care: Conceptualising access at the interface of health systems and populations. International Journal for Equity in Health, 12, Article 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-9276-12-18

Peters, D. H., Garg, A., Bloom, G., Walker, D. G., Brieger, W. R., & Rahman, M. H. (2008). Poverty and access to health care in developing countries. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1136(1), 161–171. https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1425.011

Thiede, M., & McIntyre, D. (2008). Information, communication and equitable access to health care: A conceptual note. Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 24(5), 1168–1173. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-311X2008000500025