The week of just living: Health inequalities and access to care

On Wednesday, March 25, this persistent issue takes center stage, with the central theme that access to care is not a given. Roos emphasizes: “It’s about equal opportunities and removing barriers for people who often remain out of sight.”

Roos works as a senior research fellow at the Centre of Expertise Health Innovation, where she focuses on equitable access to care and services. Her research reveals how digitalization plays a double role in this. What is intended as progress can, in practice, also exclude people. Especially within THUAS, where technology, healthcare, and the social domain intersect, she sees opportunities to tackle this complex issue in an integrated way.

Barriers in practice

Access to care breaks down at various moments. Not only at the point of service, but much earlier. Roos explains: “Digital care can introduce obstacles, such as being unable to afford a smartphone or internet connection, struggling to log in, or being afraid of making mistakes. Even in regular care, people encounter difficulties due to unfamiliarity with regulations or unclear procedures and systems that do not align with their daily reality. Efficiency and standardization help, yet at the same time cause the most vulnerable groups to disappear from the radar.”

Working together toward inclusive care

According to Roos, the key lies in a different way of working. Not thinking for people, but designing with them. “It’s important to shape care together with the people it concerns”, she explains. “This approach requires time and resources and does not always produce predictable results. Still, it is essential for structurally addressing health inequalities. During the lecture, she makes this concrete with practical examples and research, including work by Liesbeth Geuze on support for people with post-covid and Q fever.”

From awareness to action

With the interactive lecture, they aim to sharpen and strengthen the conversation within THUAS. Inclusive care inevitably requires collaboration across programs and domains. Roos hopes that participants walk away with more than just insights. “I hope we can offer tools to actively consider health inequalities and make care more inclusive.”