| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this evidence-based practice improvement project (PIP) was to identify perceived barriers to seeking primary and preventative healthcare by males living in a rural North Dakota community. Research has shown that men in the United States live shorter lives and are more likely to die of many common causes of death than females. These facts may be partially explained by the idea that men are less likely than women to regularly see a healthcare provider. Health disparities also exist between rural and metropolitan communities as well. Individuals living in rural areas have been found to die more frequently of potentially preventable causes, have higher incidence of obesity, and shorter life expectancies than those living in metropolitan communities.
The objectives of the PIP included: 1) Identifying actual and perceived barriers to seeking annual preventative care examination and screening by adult males, ages 19-65; 2) increasing healthcare professionals’ knowledge of the barriers to seeking annual preventative care among adult males in the community; and 3) implementing at least two recommendations to improve healthcare utilization and reduce barriers within the rural clinic by the end of the project implementationMale volunteers were recruited to complete a survey identifying potential barriers to seeking preventative healthcare. The results were then communicated to healthcare providers practicing in the survey area along with evidence-based recommendations for breaking down identified barriers to increase utilization of services by males in their community. Twelve participants completed surveys. Barriers identified included poor health literacy/education, clinic hours conflicting with responsibilities, not wanting to discuss emotions and masculine ideas, and cost of healthcare. Recommended interventions included education at multiple levels, implementing male-focused health initiatives, and male-focused education/information in the clinic. After one month, the coinvestigator revisited the participating clinic. At that time, the clinic had opted to not implement the recommended interventions citing COVID-19 pandemic. | en_US |
