Barriers to Accessing Pediatric Healthcare in Latin America: A Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND

Latin America faces multiple barriers to healthcare access, particularly affecting the pediatric population. Factors such as socioeconomic vulnerability, armed conflicts, disasters, and insufficient healthcare spending contribute to these difficulties. The barriers include financial, bureaucratic, and geographical issues, which negatively impact the well-being and development of children.

OBJECTIVE

To identify the barriers to healthcare access in the vulnerable pediatric population of Latin America and recognize effective strategies to overcome these barriers.

METHODS

A scoping review was conducted in December 2024. A literature search was performed in databases such as BIREME, PubMed, and Scopus, including studies published between 2014 and 2024 in English and Spanish. Specific inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, and the RAYYAN tool was used to manage the references.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight articles met the selection criteria. Of these, 28.57% discussed sociodemographic barriers, highlighting geographical issues and gaps in government support; other articles addressed vaccination, mainly social stigmas and a lack of supplies; and 17.8% focused on specific diseases, highlighting the lack of early access and complications. Additionally, 17.8% discussed strategies such as telemedicine to improve healthcare access in remote areas.

CONCLUSION

The barriers to healthcare access in the pediatric population of Latin America are diverse and complex. Telemedicine has emerged as a promising strategy, ensuring access, follow-up, and medical consultation and reducing secondary complications due to late or nonexistent care for remote communities. Additional studies with robust methodologies are needed to improve the applicability of the recommendations.