The accessibility of information about medical services in the context of the social justice of health care

Aim. To reveal the spectrum of opinions and issues regarding accessibility of information about medical services and on-line booking of doctor’s appointments among population and experts.

Methods. The methods included semi-structured interviews and focus groups with population and experts. Total of 17 individual and group interviews with experts were conducted in the Republic of Tatarstan and 12 in the Republic of Mari-El (n=59 people); 28 individual interviews and focus groups with the population were conducted in Tatarstan and 13 in Mari-El (n=113 people).

Results. New informational technologies with a positive impact on openness and accessibility of health care system have nevertheless some serious issues in realization connected with organizational, infrastructural, economic, social cultural and psychological factors: (1) insufficient information provided to the population about the state warranties of health care program; (2) inaccessibility of websites for some prevention and treatment facilities; (3) age inequality both in access to information about the services and in on-line booking of doctor’s appointments.

Conclusion. There is an urgent need for goal-directed policy to overcome inequality in the access to information among different social groups, and also for creation of equal conditions for development and supporting informational technologies in medical institutions and centers.