Principles and essential elements of the fundamental right to health in Colombia: An integrative review

Objective: This study aims to describe the praxis of the principles and essential elements of the fundamental right to health (FRH) in Colombia. Methodology. An integrative review was conducted between February 23 and March 6, 2021, comprising six databases and 63 articles with different approaches and methods on the principles and elements of the FRH in Colombia. Results: The following four categories represented 14 principles and 4 elements of the FRH: (1) Disadvantages in accessing health services/Response to health needs; (2) Eth-ics/Humanization of the service/Respect and confidentiality; (3) Relationship with the General Social Security Health System (SGSSS) insurance; and (4) Offer of health institutions and professionals/Networks and integration of health institutions. These categories grouped situations, aspects, and/or conditions reflecting the reality of the evolution of the FRH of Colombians. Conclusions: The FRH in Colombia faces significant challenges, especially among the vulnerable population. The use of the integrative review, despite being based on empirical studies, contains biases and subjectivity, leading to the non-generalization of the results. This prompts further research on the FRH, providing different opportunities for in depth analysis