Baz, Sarah;
Fang, Chao;
Carpentieri, JD;
Sheard, Laura;
(2022)
I don't know what to do or where to go". Experiences of accessing healthcare support from the perspectives of people living with Long Covid and healthcare professionals: a qualitative study in Bradford, UK.
Health Expectations
10.1111/hex.13687.
(In press).
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Health Expectations - 2022 - Baz - I don t know what to do or where to go Experiences of accessing healthcare support.pdf - Published Version Download (541kB) | Preview |
Abstract
Background In October 2022, it was estimated 2.3 million people in the United Kingdom have self-reported Long Covid (LC). Many people have reported not receiving adequate healthcare support. There is a lack of research which provides an in-depth exploration of the barriers faced by people with LC in accessing healthcare support. It is important to understand these barriers to provide better support, care and advice for those experiencing LC. Objective To understand the barriers faced in accessing primary, secondary and specialist healthcare support for people with LC. Design and Participation 40 interviews were conducted with people living with LC in Bradford alongside 12 interviews with healthcare professionals (HCPs) providing LC support in Bradford healthcare settings. Interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results People living with LC had a large degree of difficulty in accessing healthcare services for LC support. We categorized the healthcare access experiences of participants into five main types: (1) being unable to access primary care, (2) accessing primary care but receiving (perceived) inadequate support, (3) extreme persistence, (4) alternatives to mainstream health care and (5) positive experiences. There was a severe lack of access to specialist LC services. Ethnic minority participants faced a further barrier of mistrust and fear of services deterring them from accessing support. HCPs discussed systemic barriers to delivering services. Experiences were embedded in macrostructural issues further exacerbated by the pandemic. Conclusion To better support people with LC, the barriers faced in accessing healthcare support must be addressed. Of significance, improvements to general practitioner access are required; especially as GPs are the first line of support for people living with LC. Patient and Public Involvement A patient and public involvement group is engaged at regular intervals in the project.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | I don't know what to do or where to go". Experiences of accessing healthcare support from the perspectives of people living with Long Covid and healthcare professionals: a qualitative study in Bradford, UK |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1111/hex.13687 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.13687 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third-party material in this article are included in the Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Education, Practice and Society |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10161872 |
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