Searching Health Disparities Literature: Vulnerable Populations

Vulnerable populations include individuals who are at higher risk of encountering barriers to sufficient healthcare access due to a variety of social, environmental, or health factors. These factors may include economic instability, racial or ethnic minority, lack of health insurance, aging, chronic health conditions, abuse, and homelessness. Those experiencing multiple risk factors face compound vulnerabilities.

Examining how these factors interact and contribute to poor health status is vital to improving care for these populations. However, finding relevant studies can be challenging. The video below provides tips for selecting appropriate terminology to use in searching the literature on these topics.