Factors associated with prolonged waiting times in geriatric primary care: systematic review of studies in public centers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51798/sijis.v6i2.1045Keywords:
primary care, elderly, waiting times, public health, associated factorsAbstract
(1) Background: As the population ages, chronic diseases increase, and, consequently, this age group demands and requires better attention in the health service. The prevalence of certain diseases and risk factors is characteristic of older adults and is a reason that leads them to require primary health care services expeditiously; however, in many cases, this does not occur due to various factors associated with geriatric primary care. The objective of this article was to identify the factors associated with prolonged waiting times in geriatric primary care; (2) Methods: A systematic review of the literature was carried out, focusing on journals published in English and Spanish containing original studies or systematic reviews. Searches for studies were conducted between 2014 and 2024 in the Scopus, MedLine, SciELO, and PubMed databases; (3) Results: The results yielded 17 papers directly related to the exposed subject matter, of which 13 were published in English; moreover, a greater number of papers were published during 2020; (4) Conclusions: It is concluded that the factors associated with the prolongation of waiting times in geriatric primary care were sociodemographic characteristics (race, age), distance from the care center, contextual factors, ageism, and social support.
References
Abreus, J. L., González, V., Menéndez, J. L., Stuart, A., del Sol Santiago, F., & Bernal, E. (2020). The behavior of the physical capacity balance in elderly people, Cienfuegos municipality. Revista Universidad y Sociedad, 12(3), 44-53. http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2218-36202020000300044
Alhamdan, A. A., Alshammari, S. A., Al-Amoud, M. M., Hameed, T. A., Al-Muammar, M. N., Bindawas, S. M., Al-Orf, S. M., Mohamed, A. G., Al-Ghamdi, E. A., & Calder, P. C. (2015). Evaluation of health care services provided for older adults in primary health care centers and its internal environment: A step towards age-friendly health centers. Saudi Medical Journal, 36(9), 1091-1096. https://doi.org/10.15537/smj.2015.9.11789
Alonso, L., Cigarroa, I., Gómez, P., Ariza, C., Rago, M., Madariaga, M., Manjarres, M., Ramos, I., Solano, S., & Leiva-Manzor, G. (2023). Perfil de los adultos mayores institucionalizados en relación de las variables biopsicosociales y clínicas en América Latina [Profile of institutionalized older adults in relation to biopsychosocial and clinical variables in Latin America]. Gaceta Médica Boliviana, 46(2), 20-27. https://doi.org/10.47993/gmb.v46i2.605
Álvarez, G., García, M., & Londoño, M. (2016). Crisis de la salud en Colombia: Limitantes del acceso al derecho fundamental a la salud de los adultos mayores [Health crisis in Colombia: Barriers to accessing the fundamental right to health for older adults]. Revista CES Derecho, 7(2), 106-125. http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2145-77192016000200009
Arroyo, M., & Vázquez, L. (2016). Percepción de personas mayores sobre la atención recibida en instituciones de salud de la ciudad de Durango [Older adults' perception of care received in health institutions in Durango city]. Revista Pueblos y Fronteras Digital, 11(21), 144-172. https://doi.org/10.22201/cimsur.18704115e.2016.21.12
Chen, C., Ding, S., & Wang, J. (2023). Digital health for aging populations. Nature Medicine, 29, 1623-1630. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02391-8
D'Cruz, M., & Banerjee, D. (2020). 'An invisible human rights crisis': The marginalization of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic - An advocacy review. Psychiatry Research, 292, 113369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113369
De Tapia, J., Encina, R., Piangatelli, M., Pirola, J., González, G., & Moscoso, N. (2023). Barriers to access according to the stages of the health care process for the elderly. Gerokomos, 34(3), 183-187. http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1134-928X2023000300006
Edney, L., Haji, A., Visvanathan, R., Toson, B., & Karnon, J. (2023). An exploration of healthcare use in older people waiting for and receiving Australian community-based aged care services. Geriatrics & Gerontology International, 23(10), 899-905. https://doi.org/10.1111/ggi.14703
Escourrou, E., Laurent, S., Leroux, J., Oustric, S., & Gardette, V. (2022). The shift from old age to very old age: An analysis of the perception of aging among older people. BMC Primary Care, 23(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-021-01616-4
Failache, E., Katzkowicz, N., Méndez, F., Parada Borges, C., & Querejeta, M. (2024). Cuidados de la vejez y oferta laboral femenina en América Latina [Elderly care and female labor supply in Latin America]. Revista Desarrollo y Sociedad, 96, 11-38. https://doi.org/10.13043/DYS.96.1
Ford, J. A., Wong, G., Jones, A. P., & Steel, N. (2016). Access to primary care for socioeconomically disadvantaged older people in rural areas: A realist review. BMJ Open, 6(5), e010652. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-010652
Ford, J. A., Turley, R., Porter, T., Shakespeare, T., Wong, G., Jones, A. P., & Steel, N. (2018). Access to primary care for socio-economically disadvantaged older people in rural areas: A qualitative study. PLOS ONE, 13(3), e0193952. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0193952
García, M., Homan, P., García, C., & Brown, T. (2021). The Color of COVID-19: Structural racism and the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on older Black and Latinx adults. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 76(3), e75-e80. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaa114
Ii, M., & Niu, B. (2019). Are Japanese people satisfied with their health care system and services? Empirical evidence from survey data. Health Policy, 123(4), 345-352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2018.11.008
Kalpana, N. S., Bhavnit, K. B., & Jeremiah, D. S. (2014). Toward patient-centered care: A systematic review of older adults' views of quality emergency care. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 63(5), 529-550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2013.07.509
Kelly, G., Mrengqwa, L., & Geffen, L. (2019). "They don't care about us": Older people's experiences of primary healthcare in Cape Town, South Africa. BMC Geriatrics, 19(1), 98. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-019-1116-0
Kurpas, D., Gwyther, H., Szwamel, K., Shaw, R., D'Avanzo, C., Holland, C., & Bujnowska-Fedak, M. (2018). Patient-centred access to health care: A framework analysis of the care interface for frail older adults. BMC Geriatrics, 18(1), 273. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-018-0960-7
Motsohi, T., Namane, M., Chidi Anele, A., Abbas, M., & Zimba Kalula, S. (2020). Older persons' experience with health care at two primary level clinics in Cape Town, South Africa: A qualitative assessment. BJGP Open, 4(3). https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgpopen20X101048
Mwakilasa, M. T., Foley, C., O'Carroll, T., Flynn, R., & Rohde, D. (2021). Care experiences of older people in the emergency department: A concurrent mixed-methods study. Journal of Patient Experience, 8. https://doi.org/10.1177/23743735211065267
Oliveira de Araújo, P. O., Soares, I., Vale, P., Sousa, A. R., Aparicio, E. C., & Carvalho, E. (2023). Ageism directed to older adults in health services: A scoping review. Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem, 31, e4020. https://doi.org/10.1590/1518-8345.6727.4020
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., et al. (2021). Declaración PRISMA 2020: Una guía actualizada para la publicación de revisiones sistemáticas [PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews]. Revista Española de Cardiología, 74(9), 790-799. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.recesp.2021.06.016
Pan, W., Zhang, K., Li, H., Wu, M., & Weng, J. (2019). Older adults are prioritized in terms of waiting time under the emergency triage system in Guangzhou, China. Geriatrics & Gerontology International, 19(10), 1003-1008. https://doi.org/10.1111/ggi.13714
Peña-Montoya, M., Garzon-Duque, M., Cardona-Arango, D., & Segura-Cardona, A. (2016). Acceso a los servicios de salud de los adultos mayores. Antioquia - Colombia [Access to health services for older adults. Antioquia - Colombia]. Universidad y Salud, 18(2), 219-231. http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0124-71072016000200004
Ramos-Alania, A. (2020). Uso de servicios de salud por los adultos mayores en el Hospital Regional Hermilio Valdizán Medrano [Use of health services by older adults at the Hermilio Valdizán Medrano Regional Hospital]. Gaceta Científica, 6(1), 54-62. https://doi.org/10.46794/gacien.6.1.722
Ribotta, S. (2022). Personas mayores, autonomía y vulnerabilidades [Older adults, autonomy and vulnerabilities]. Teoría & Derecho: Revista de Pensamiento Jurídico, 33, 38-63. https://doi.org/10.36151/TD.2022.050
Santoyo, G., & Arredondo, A. (2020). Revisión y análisis sobre los determinantes de acceso a los servicios de atención primaria en población adulta mayor rural y urbana [Review and analysis of the determinants of access to primary care services in rural and urban elderly population]. Horizonte Sanitario, 19(2), 175-184. https://doi.org/10.19136/hs.a19n2.3275
Tarazona-Santabalbina, F., de la Cámara de las Heras, J., Vidán, M. T., & García, J. (2021). Enfermedad por coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) y edadismo: Revisión narrativa de la literature [Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and ageism: Narrative review of the literature]. Revista Española de Geriatría y Gerontología, 56(1), 47-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regg.2020.08.002
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. (2022). World population prospects 2022: Summary of results. https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/sites/www.un.org.development.desa.pd/files/wpp2022_summary_of_results.pdf
Wu, Q., & Gu, D. (2021). Oldest-old adults. In D. Gu & M. E. Dupre (Eds.), Encyclopedia of gerontology and population aging. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22009-9_1121
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Lester Byron Rodriguez Lazaro, Angel Mamani-Ruelas, Silas Hildeliza Alvarado Rivadeneyra, Angela Apaza-Bustamante
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
