A Systems Science Approach to Understand and Address Access Barriers to Rural Dermatology Care

Download or read book A Systems Science Approach to Understand and Address Access Barriers to Rural Dermatology Care written by Melissa Emily Cyr and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Skin cancer incidence has reached concerning proportions in the United States (US) over the last several decades, underscoring the need for increased prevention, screening, and early treatment. While malignant melanoma is associated with the highest skin cancer mortality rates, health outcomes vary greatly. Certain disadvantaged populations such as elderly, economically and geographically disadvantaged, or racial and ethnic minorities experience greater risks of diagnostic delays and death. While early detection and treatment yields a more favorable prognosis, dermatology access delays are highly problematic throughout the US. One challenge in studying this problem is that access to care is poorly defined and conceptualized. Although current frameworks suggest that care accessibility is a dynamic multidimensional process, no studies to date have holistically examined access to dermatology care as a means for improvement. This dissertation presents three conceptually-driven studies that developed new knowledge to contribute to these literature gaps. First, a comprehensive summary of the recent literature on access barriers to US specialty care literature revealed that despite geographic and demographic differences between urban and rural areas, many barriers were common to both populations. The second involved the development, pilot testing, and refinement of a novel measurement tool to identify patient-perceived barriers to dermatology care. Lastly, study three was a mixed-methods study that was conducted to capture and understand the multiple dimensions of patient- and system-centric access barriers to rural dermatology care, revealing that in rural areas with limited appointment availability, primary care provider generated referral diagnoses can be an important determinant of dermatology care receipt and health outcomes, especially among at-risk populations. Combined findings from these three studies can help inform the development of more robust interventions to improve future rural dermatology care access, skin cancer screening, and treatment"--Author's abstract.