Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Accessibility to Healthcare

Accessibility to healthcare is the degree to which individuals and populations can obtain appropriate health services when they need them, and it is a foundational concern of public health. It is understood as a multidimensional concept encompassing more than physical proximity to facilities. Key dimensions include …

Curated from this journal's research 📚 10 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 23× across the literature 🔖 ISSN 2641-4538 🗓 Reviewed July 2026

Overview

Accessibility to healthcare is the degree to which individuals and populations can obtain appropriate health services when they need them, and it is a foundational concern of public health. It is understood as a multidimensional concept encompassing more than physical proximity to facilities. Key dimensions include availability, whether services and trained providers exist in sufficient supply; geographic accessibility, the ease of reaching care; affordability, the financial burden relative to people's resources; acceptability, the fit between services and patients' cultural, social, and personal needs; and accommodation, how services are organized to meet demand. Barriers along any of these dimensions can prevent or delay care, producing unmet need and contributing to health inequities. Vulnerable and marginalized groups, including sexual and gender minorities, women, children, sex workers, and residents of underserved or low-resource areas, often face compounded obstacles rooted in structural, economic, social, and cultural factors. Inadequate access is associated with poorer outcomes, late presentation, and disparities in preventive, reproductive, maternal, and chronic care. Public-health research and practice examine these barriers and the strategies to reduce them, such as integrating services, strengthening health systems and decision-making, improving outreach, and empowering communities. Measuring and improving accessibility is central to advancing health equity and universal access, ensuring that the availability, affordability, and appropriateness of care extend to all populations rather than a privileged few.

Research published in this journal

10 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 10 articles above have been cited 23 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Accessibility to Healthcare, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in Public Health International (ISSN 2641-4538).

Journal editorial board
Javad Javan-Noughabi · United Kingdom Evelyn O Talbott · United States Zainab Taha · United Arab Emirates

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.