Disparities in Health Screening Completion Status for Adults with Severe Disabilities Compared to Adults With No Disabilities in Korea: A Retrospective Study of Electronic Health Records

Health screening is crucial for individuals with disabilities because they are likely to experience preventable health challenges, leading to poor health outcomes. However, there is limited insight into barriers to health screening for them after arriving at a healthcare facility. Thus, this study aimed to explore the association between disability status/type and health screening test completion and the reasons for incomplete tests after arriving at a healthcare facility. We reviewed 767 electronic health records of individuals who underwent health screening in a healthcare facility over one year. Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests were used to explore differences in test completion. Levesque's access to care framework was used to categorize the reasons for incomplete tests into provider- and patient-related domains. The findings showed associations between disability status and health screening completion. Both provider- and patient-related barriers were recorded as the reasons for incomplete tests for cases with disabilities. The associations found suggest potential disparities individuals with disabilities experience upon arrival at healthcare facilities. Further prospective studies are needed to test and validate the healthcare utilization disparities in disability.