Objective

The determinants of access to primary care services in elderly people living in rural and urban areas of different regions of the world.

Material and Method

A systematic review of the literature in electronic databases was carried out from qualitative and quantitative publications, of primary or secondary source, described between 2015 and 2019. Key words were determined framed under the Levesque Dimensions and Skills Model, Harris and Russell. The analysis was carried out using a checklist with five technical evaluation criteria chosen for technical-academic convenience.

Results

The initial search identified 118 manuscripts for review. The studies were analyzed and classified in to five segments that involve five regions of the world. The main determinants of access found were classified in to personal skills of the elderly and characteristics of the health system for both rural and urban areas.

Conclusions

It is concluded that at the global level the main determinant of access to primary care services in elderly residents of rural areas is the lack of availability of services; while urban older adults maintain financial barriers as the main obstacle to their access to health.