Seeking medical services among rural empty-nest elderly in China: a qualitative study

Abstract

Abstract Background The number of empty-nest elderly in China is rapidly increasing. Empty-nest elderly could not receive adequate daily care, economic support and spiritual consolation from their children. Rural empty-nest elderly are facing more serious health challenges than those in urban areas. Objective This study aimed to understand the experiences of rural empty-nest elderly in seeking medical services in China. Methods The method of inductive content analysis was used to collect and analyze data. Data were collected by in-depth interviews. A total number of 16 participants were involved in this study. A semi-structured interview guideline, which was discussed in depth and agreed upon by all researchers, was used to encourage participants to talk about their experiences in seeking medical services. Results Rural empty-nest elderly is facing a great challenge in seeking medical services in China. There are some barriers for rural nest elderly to get access to healthcare services, such as low-income status, high expenditure of medical treatment and inadequate health insurance coverage. Due to the absence of the companionship of their adult children, empty-nest elderly have to rely on their neighbors and relatives to seek medical services. Conclusions Rural empty-nest elderly have great difficulty in seeking medical services in China. More efforts should be made to get medical services more accessible to rural empty-nest elderly.