Social exclusion in primary healthcare settings: the time for measurement has come

Authors

  • Patrick O’Donnell University of Limerick
  • Khalifa Elmusharaf University of Limerick

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7322/jhgd.157747

Keywords:

social exclusion, social inclusion, marginalization, primary healthcare, measurement tools, health inequalities

Abstract

Social exclusion is a concept that has been discussed and debated in many disciplines in recent decades. In 2006 the WHO Social Exclusion Knowledge Network published a report detailing their work explaining the relevance of social exclusion to the domain of health. As part of that work, the authors formulated a complex definition of social exclusion that has proven difficult to adapt or operationalize in healthcare settings. We looked at this WHO work, and at other published evidence, and decided that social exclusion is a concept that is worth measuring at the individual level in healthcare settings. We suggest that the primary healthcare space, in particular, is an ideal setting in which to do that measurement. We have examined existing social exclusion measurement tools, and scrutinised the approaches taken by their authors, and the various domains they measured. We now propose to develop and validate such a tool for use in primary healthcare settings.

Author Biographies

  • Patrick O’Donnell, University of Limerick

    Clinical Fellow in Social Inclusion, Graduate Entry Medical School

     

  • Khalifa Elmusharaf, University of Limerick

    Senior Lecturer in Public Health, Graduate Entry Medical School

     

References

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Published

2019-05-06

Issue

Vol. 29 No. 1 (2019)

Section

Artigos Originais

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