An Introduction to Primary Care in Underserved Populations: Definitions, Scope, and Challenges.
This article addresses the scope of the problem primary care physicians face when caring for the underserved, both nationally and internationally. It touches on the statistics used to define medically underserved communities, the pervasiveness of poverty, and how primary care physician shortages may soon reach a crisis point. The definitions of socioeconomic status, allostatic load, and structural violence are also reviewed.
Department of Family Medicine and Community Medicine, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN 37208, USA. Electronic address: vmorelli@mmc.edu.
Vincent
V
Morelli
D006801:Humans; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D017057:Medically Uninsured; D011203:Poverty; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration; D012923:Social Class; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D014481:United States; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
Allostatic load; HPSA; MUA; MUP; Socioeconomic status; Underserved area; Underserved population