Abstract

BALLESTEROS, Matías Salvador  and  FREIDIN, Betina. Reflections on the conceptualization and measurement of access to health services in Argentina: The case of the National Survey of Risk Factors 2009. Salud colect. [online]. 2015, vol.11, n.4, pp.523-535. ISSN 1851-8265.  http://dx.doi.org/10.18294/sc.2015.793.

In this article we reflect on the complexity surrounding the conceptualization and measurement of access to health services. We present the theoretical models habitually used to approach the issue and different ways of operationalizing these models, taking into account the implications for the analysis of the data and the information obtained. As an example of this complexity, we analyze the National Survey of Risk Factors [Encuesta Nacional de Factores de Riesgo] conducted in Argentina in 2009. We show that the survey provides important information for understanding inequalities in access to health services. However, the way in which the barriers to access to the health system are measured may underreport the problem by only capturing extreme situations.

Keywords : Health Services Accessibility; Social Inequity; Health Care Surveys; Indicators; Argentina.

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