Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Nov 3;16(1):191.
doi: 10.1186/s12939-017-0688-6.

Preventative health, diversity, and inclusion: a qualitative study of client experience aboard a mobile health clinic in Boston, Massachusetts

Zoe Bouchelle  1 , Yasmin Rawlins  2 , Caterina Hill  3 , Jennifer Bennet  3 , Leonor Xochitl Perez  4 , Nancy Oriol  3
Affiliations

Preventative health, diversity, and inclusion: a qualitative study of client experience aboard a mobile health clinic in Boston, Massachusetts

Zoe Bouchelle et al. Int J Equity Health. .

Abstract

Background: There are approximately 2000 mobile health clinics operating in the United States. While researchers have established that mobile health clinics can be cost effective and improve outcomes, there is scant research examining the healthcare experience on a mobile health clinic from patients' perspectives.

Methods: Data were gathered from interviews with 25 clients receiving care on a Boston-based mobile health clinic and analyzed using grounded theory methodology.

Results: Emerging patterns in the data revealed three relational and three structural factors most significant to participants' experience of care on The Family Van. Relational factors include providers who 1) Communicate understandably, 2) Create a culture of respect and inclusivity, and 3) Are diverse with knowledge of the community. Structural factors include 1) A focus on preventative health and managing chronic disease, 2) Expeditious, free, and multiple services, and 3) Location.

Conclusions: The participant accounts in this report serve to expand on prior research exploring mobile health clinics' role in patients' healthcare, to more clearly define the most salient aspects of the mobile health clinic model for the patients they serve, and to give voice to patients too seldom heard in the academic literature.

Keywords: Health disparities; Mobile health; Mobile health clinic; Qualitative research; The family van.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the Harvard University Faculty of Medicine determined that the above-referenced protocol meets the criteria for exemption per the regulations found at 45 CFR 46.101(b)(2).

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The two researchers (ZB and YR) conducting, transcribing, and coding the interviews were not providing care to clients on The Family Van during the study period. Prior to the study periods, ZB had never provided care or volunteered on The Family Van. Prior to the study period, YR had provided care and volunteered on The Family Van. JB is the former Executive Director of The Family Van. CH is the former Manager of Research and Education at The Family Van. NEO is a Co-Founder of The Family Van. The Family Van is affiliated with Harvard Medical School and has received funding from Harvard University, both of which provided research grants for this project.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Health Care Costs: A Primer. https://kaiserfamilyfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/7670-03.pdf. Accessed 10 April 2017.
    1. Nelson A. Unequal treatment: confronting racial and ethnic disparities in health care. J Natl Med Assoc. 2002;94(8):666–668. - PMC - PubMed
    1. National Healthcare Quality & Disparities Report.2014 https://www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/nhqrdr/nhqdr14/index.html. Accessed 10 April 2017.
    1. Health disparities and inequalities report. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2013; 62 Suppl 3:1–187.
    1. Hill C, Powers B, Jain S, Bennet J, Vavasis A, Oriol N. Mobile health clinics in the era of reform. Am J Manag Care. 2014;20:261–264. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources