Keywords: Rural Health, Healthcare Access, Patient Experience, Health Equity, Social Determinants of Health
Background:
People living in rural and coastal communities in the United Kingdom have reported inequalities in access to healthcare and other vital services which can have an impact on their health and wellbeing. About 16% of the population or about one in six people in the United Kingdom live in rural areas (World Bank, 2021). There are a number of challenges facing rural communities such as an aging population, larger distances to services and poor connectivity, both in regards to transport and telecommunications. To start to address inequalities it is important to have a good understanding of current rural and coastal contexts as well as the needs of the local populations in regard to their health and wellbeing taking into account the wider social determinants of health.
Aim of the study:
The aim of this exploratory study is to gather the experiences of rural and coastal patients to develop a better understanding of their needs and the barriers they face in regard to improving their health and wellbeing.
Methodology:
The study was conducted via an online questionnaire which was shared with members of the UK Patients Association. The questionnaire was comprised of 15 questions. The questions gathered basic demographic data such as age, gender and geographic locations, and participants were asked to grade the access to services on a five point Likert scale. The last four questions allowed the participants to describe their experience in accessing healthcare and services important for their wellbeing.
Results:
This will be a presentation of the initial results of the patient experience survey gathered between March 2024 and May 2024.
Conclusions:
This study supports the inclusion of patient voices into the work on reducing rural and coastal inequalities in health and wellbeing. The outcomes will be used to plan further research with rural patients and rural communities as partners.
#3
