M2 · Health Complexity
M2
Slide 17
CONTENT
Consequences of Access Barriers
The cumulative effect of barriers leads to:
Delayed diagnosis
Advanced disease at presentation
Increased emergency department use
Recurrent hospital admissions
Poor chronic disease control
Increased mortality
Barriers transform treatable conditions into severe complications.
Integrated Health and Social Care Perspective
Improving access requires more than increasing service availability. It requires:

Low-threshold services

Administrative flexibility

Outreach models

Case management

Integrated housing-health coordination

Trauma-informed communication

Access must be redesigned to match the realities of instability.
The question is not only: “Why do patients not attend services?” But also: “How are services designed in ways that exclude them?”
CORE INSIGHT
Barriers to healthcare are systemic, not individual.
Without addressing stigma, administrative exclusion, financial obstacles and fragmentation, health disparities among homeless populations will persist — regardless of medical advances.