Who is medically under-served?

Society is made up of many different people from various backgrounds and circumstances. Diversity opens our minds to alternative lifestyles and ways of living which enriches our society. Health services and professionals often do not fully tailor or cater for the unique requirements of individuals. Consequently, some people can become disadvantaged and their voices seldom heard.

In this e-learning when we refer to an individual who is under-served, what we mean is that they are medically under-served. More specifically:

An individual is described as being ‘under-served’ when they are eligible to receive a health service (such as the Medicines Use Review) but for varying reasons, do not end up receiving the service, despite them being potentially most in need.

We all may know someone who is 'under-served'. However, we may be unaware of the range of people who fall into this category and the extent to which these individuals are socially marginalised, isolated and lack the health and medicine support they need.

Being mindful

As health professionals, we need to be mindful and actively seek out people who are most in need of medicine support. This process can be started by speaking to patients, or those who collect medicines on the patient's behalf, and then assessing the individuals' need for medicine support.

References