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Makeshift medicine is a response to US health system failures

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The ‘makeshift medicine’ framework describes how individuals address healthcare needs when they are unable to access the US healthcare system. The framework is applied to gender-affirming care, the health of people who inject drugs and abortion access. Recommendations for future research, advocacy and policy are made.

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Fig. 1: Makeshift medicine framework.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA

    Patrick J. A. Kelly, Katie B. Biello & Jaclyn M. W. Hughto

  2. Center for Health Promotion and Health Equity, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA

    Patrick J. A. Kelly, Katie B. Biello & Jaclyn M. W. Hughto

  3. Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA

    Katie B. Biello & Jaclyn M. W. Hughto

  4. Fenway Health, The Fenway Institute, Boston, MA, USA

    Katie B. Biello & Jaclyn M. W. Hughto

Authors
  1. Patrick J. A. Kelly
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  2. Katie B. Biello
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  3. Jaclyn M. W. Hughto
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Correspondence to Patrick J. A. Kelly.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Kelly, P.J.A., Biello, K.B. & Hughto, J.M.W. Makeshift medicine is a response to US health system failures. Nat Hum Behav 7, 475–477 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01575-z

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