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Cited by 1,987Urban Transport and AccessibilityPublic Health and Social InequalitiesHealthcare Policy and Management

Traveling Towards Disease: Transportation Barriers to Health Care Access

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Syed, Samina T., Gerber, Ben S., Sharp, Lisa K.·2013·Journal of Community Health
DOI 10.1007/s10900-013-9681-1PMC PMC4265215
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Abstract

Transportation barriers are often cited as barriers to healthcare access. Transportation barriers lead to rescheduled or missed appointments, delayed care, and missed or delayed medication use. These consequences may lead to poorer management of chronic illness and thus poorer health outcomes. However, the significance of these barriers is uncertain based on existing literature due to wide variability in both study populations and transportation barrier measures. The authors sought to synthesize the literature on the prevalence of transportation barriers to health care access. A systematic literature search of peer-reviewed studies on transportation barriers to healthcare access was performed. Inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) study addressed access barriers for ongoing primary care or chronic disease care; (2) study included assessment of transportation barriers; and (3) study was completed in the United States. In total, 61 studies were reviewed. Overall, the evidence supports that transportation barriers are an important barrier to healthcare access, particularly for those with lower incomes or the under/uninsured. Additional research needs to (1) clarify which aspects of transportation limit health care access (2) measure the impact of transportation barriers on clinically meaningful outcomes and (3) measure the impact of transportation barrier interventions and transportation policy changes.

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Authors
Syed, S. T., Gerber, B. S., & Sharp, L. K.
Affiliations
University of Illinois Chicago (US)
Corresponding author
Syed, Samina T.
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Community Health
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2013-03-31
Volume
38
Issue
5
Pages
976-993
ISSN
  • 0094-5145 (ISSN-L)
  • 1573-3610
DOI
10.1007/s10900-013-9681-1
PMC
PMC4265215
OpenAlex
W2068651465
Cited by
1,987
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 258 · 2025: 299 · 2024: 266 · 2023: 228 · 2022: 232 · 2021: 222 · 2020: 183 · 2019: 86 · 2018: 85 · 2017: 73 · 2016: 34 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 5
FWCI
6.02
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations
  • Journal of Community Health (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (T32DK080674, R01DK091347)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Transportation › Urban Transport and Accessibility
  • Social Sciences › Health › Public Health and Social Inequalities
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Healthcare Policy and Management
Keywords
transportation barriers, health care access, missed appointments, chronic disease management, low-income populations, uninsured population, primary care access, transport policy, health disparities
MeSH terms
Appointments and Schedules, Chronic Disease, Ethnicity, Health Services Accessibility, Humans, Patient Compliance, Primary Health Care, Residence Characteristics, Socioeconomic Factors, Time Factors, Transportation, United States

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