Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38816045›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2024

Access to primary care for children and young people (CYP) in the UK: a scoping review of CYP's, caregivers' and healthcare professionals' views and experiences of facilitators and barriers.

Lauren Herlitz, Emily Ashford, Claire Powell, Kevin Herbert, Stephen Morris, Jenny Woodman

Abstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Sociodemographic disparities in primary care management of back pain in children and young people: a population-based cohort study.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026
    Article
  4. "Float[ing] in the Middle" Nurse Navigators and the Interface of Access to Care.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025
    Article
  5. Observational
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Lauren HerlitzNIHR Children and Families Policy Research Unit, Population, Policy and Practice, UCL GOS Institute of Child Health, London, UK l.herlitz@ucl.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0003-2497-9041
Emily AshfordThomas Coram Research Unit, UCL Social Research Institute, London, UK.
Claire PowellNIHR Children and Families Policy Research Unit, Population, Policy and Practice, UCL GOS Institute of Child Health, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-6581-0165
Kevin HerbertPublic Health & Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0009-0008-4354-7811
Stephen MorrisPublic Health & Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-5828-3563
Jenny WoodmanThomas Coram Research Unit, UCL Social Research Institute, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-9403-4177

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo examine children and young people's (CYP), caregivers' and healthcare professionals' (HCPs) views or experiences of facilitators and barriers to CYP access to UK primary care services to better understand healthcare inequity. To explore differences across CYP subpopulations with greater health needs from deprived areas, identifying as ethnic minorities, with experiences of state care, special educational needs or disabilities, chronic conditions or mental health problems.

designScoping review. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Included studies were in English, published 2012-2022 and reported: the views/experiences of CYP (0-25 years), caregivers or HCPs about accessing UK primary care; using quantitative or qualitative empirical methods. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycINFO and Scopus.

resultsWe included 47 reports (46 studies). CYP/caregivers' decision to access care was facilitated by CYP/caregivers' or their family/friends' ability to identify a health issue as warranting healthcare attention. Barriers to accessing care included perceived stigma (eg, being seen as a bad parent), embarrassment and discrimination experiences. CYP and caregivers believed longer opening hours could facilitate more timely access to care. Caregivers and HCPs reported that delayed or rejected referrals to secondary or adult care were a barrier to having needs met, especially for CYP with poor mental health. CYP and caregivers in numerous studies emphasised the importance of communication and trust with HCPs, including taking their concerns seriously, being knowledgeable and providing continuity of care for CYP. Common barriers reported across high-need subpopulations were caregivers needing knowledge and confidence to advocate for their child, gaps in HCP's knowledge and a lack of connectedness between primary and secondary care.

conclusionsConnecting general practices and community health workers/services, improving CYP/caregivers' understanding of common childhood conditions, addressing HCP's knowledge gaps in paediatric care and integrated approaches between primary and secondary care may reduce inequity in access.

Indexed as

CaregiversHealth Services AccessibilityPrimary Health CareAccess to Primary CareAdolescentAttitude of Health PersonnelChildChild, PreschoolHealth PersonnelHumansInfantUnited KingdomYoung Adultadolescentshealth equityhealth services accessibilitypaediatricsprimary care

Identifiers

PMID38816045
PMCPMC11141190

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.