Abstract P140: High Poverty Among Patients With Noncommunicable Diseases in Rural Haiti

Background: Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are a major and growing cause of death and disability in low-income countries, and contribute a substantial portion of outpatient clinic visits. Poverty can be a major barrier to accessing healthcare in rural low-income countries. The objective of this study is to describe the demographics and socioeconomic status of patients attending an NCD clinic in rural Haiti, where poverty is highly prevalent. Methods: We analyzed routinely collected clinic data from adult patients in rural Haiti presenting to the NCD clinic at Hopital Universitaire de Mirebalais. We collected data during routine initial clinic visits from July 2013 through October 2016. We performed descriptive statistics to assess patient demographics and socioeconomic status using available data. We evaluated poverty based on the Multidimensional Poverty Index by evaluating 9 indicators within three dimensions: health, education, and standard of living - we did not assess electricity. We assessed depriv...