{
  "abstract": "Background\n\nThe number of left-behind elderly people and children in rural China is rapidly increasing, and they are unable to receive sufficient daily care, economic support, and spiritual comfort from their children. The health issues of rural left-behind elderly people directly affect the economic and social risks of left-behind families, and the rural left-behind elderly people and children face more serious health challenges than urban elderly people.Methods\n\nThe data were collected and analysed by the method of inductive content analysis and in-depth interview. A total of 13 participants participated in the study, using semi-structured interview guidelines that were thoroughly discussed and agreed upon by all researchers to encourage participants to talk about their experiences seeking medical care.Results\n\nThe medical treatment of left-behind elderly and left-behind children in rural China faces enormous challenges. In terms of access to medical services, there are obstacles such as low income, high medical costs, and insufficient coverage of medical insurance. Due to the lack of companionship from adult children, left-behind elderly people can only rely on neighbours and relatives to seek medical services.Conclusion\n\nThe difficulty of seeking medical treatment for left-behind elderly people and children in rural China is significant, and greater efforts should be made to make it easier for them to access medical services.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "School of Clinical Medicine, Jining Medical University, Jining, 272067, People's Republic of China. zhangxuewen324@163.com.",
    "School of Clinical Medicine, Jining Medical University, Jining, 272067, People's Republic of China.",
    "Health Management Center, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining, 272067, People's Republic of China.",
    "School of Humanities, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, 445000, People's Republic of China."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xuewen Zhang",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1331-0222"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Jing Liu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Chunying Wang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Junxin Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Yueying Pan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Xiaoqin Chong"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Min Wang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Yuanlei Yue"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8kzseyfpesvbn.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1186/s12889-026-28518-3",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13749802",
  "id": "8kzseyfpesvbn",
  "issns": [
    "1471-2458"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/43009869",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Research"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3319|Aging, Elder Care, and Social Issues"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7202370496",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13749802?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13749802",
  "pmid": "43009869",
  "published": "2026-08-14",
  "publisher": "BMC",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8kzseyfpesvbn.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-12T15:22:43Z",
      "native_id": "MED:43009869",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/43009869"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-14T12:22:30Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13749802",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-28518-3"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "issn:1471-2458",
      "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Seeking medical services among rural \"grandmother-grandchildren\" left-behind families in China: a qualitative study.",
  "title_text": "Seeking medical services among rural \"grandmother-grandchildren\" left-behind families in China: a qualitative study.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-14T12:22:30Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8kzseyfpesvbn",
  "venue": "BMC public health",
  "versions": []
}