Access to Primary Health Care Among Persons With Disabilities in Rural Areas: A Summary of the Literature

Despite the prevalence of disabilities among persons living in rural areas, scarce data exist on their health care needs. While rural residents generally experience barriers to access to primary health care, these problems are further exacerbated for people with disabilities. This article summarizes findings from the published literature on access to primary health care among people with disabilities living in rural locations. A comprehensive computerized literature search turned up 86 articles meeting the study criteria, focused on the following rural populations affected by disabilities: children and adolescents, working-age adults, the elderly the mentally ill, and people with AIDS. For each of these populations, substantial problems in accessing appropriate health care have been documented. The literature consistently emphasizes the failure of local health care systems in nonmetropolitan areas to adequately address the complex medical and related needs of individuals with disabilities. In the absence of specialized expertise, facilities, and primary care providers trained specifically to care for disabled persons, local programs rely heavily on the use of indigenous paraprofessionals and alternative models of care. Further research is needed to identify and test the efficacy of innovative service delivery strategies to improve health care access for this population.