AN INVESTIGATION ON THE HEALTHCARE USE OF ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS IN TERMS OF SOME VARIABLES: A CROSS-SECTIONAL RESEARCH

Yıl 2020, , 327 - 331, 14.10.2020

Deniz Say Sahin

https://doi.org/10.18229/kocatepetip.648648

Öz

OBJECTIVE: This study was carried out for the purpose of determining the factors that affect the usage of healthcare services by elderly individuals.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: 266 elderly patients who visited a family health center between the dates of 01.02.2019 – 01.06.2019 were randomly selected, and the questionnaires were applied to those who agreed to participate in the study with the method of face-to-face interviews. Sociodemographic characteristics as age, marital status, educational level, employment status, gender, scope of health insurance, household income and chronic disease status were given as frequencies and percentages. Fisher’s exact test was used to analyze the relationships among usage of healthcare services and marital status and household income. Simple binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine which factor was a significant predictor of healthcare usage.
RESULTS: It was determined that gender, perceived health status and having a chronic disease were significantly related to usage of healthcare services, while usage of healthcare services among women was 2.23 times more than that in men, and it was 3.27 times more among those with at least one chronic disease than those without.
CONCLUSIONS: The data in our study may be used by healthcare policymakers and program administrators for the purpose of increasing the access to healthcare services among the elderly and especially for the sake of promotion and improvement of health campaigns. This way, it may be achieved to increase the probability of reaching healthcare counseling after being diagnosed with a chronic disease, and thus more severe complications and injuries that may occur may be prevented.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Elderly, healthcare service, planning, usage, health insurance

YAŞLI BİREYLERİN SAĞLIK HİZMETİ KULLANIMININ BAZI DEĞİŞKENLER AÇISINDAN İNCELENMESİ: KESİTSEL BİR ARAŞTIRMA

Öz

AMAÇ: Bu çalışma, yaşlı bireylerin sağlık hizmeti kullanımını etkileyen faktörleri incelemek amacıyla yapılmıştır.
GEREÇ VE YÖNTEM: Bir aile sağlığı merkezine 01.02.2019 – 01.06.2019 tarihleri arasında başvuran 266 yaşlı hasta rastgele seçilerek, araştırmaya katılmayı kabul eden yaşlılara yüz-yüze görüşme tekniği ile anketler uygulandı. Yaş, medeni durum, eğitim düzeyi, iş durumu, cinsiyet, sağlık sigortası kapsamı, hane halkı geliri, kronik hastalık durumu gibi sosyodemografik özellikler sayı ve yüzde olarak verildi. Sağlık hizmeti kullanımı ile medeni durum ve aylık hanehalkı geliri arasındaki ilişkilerin analizinde, Fisher exact testi kullanıldı. Hangi faktörün sağlık hizmeti kullanımının önemli bir yordayıcısı olduğunu belirlemek için basit ikili lojistik regresyon analizi yapıldı.
BULGULAR: Cinsiyet, algılanan sağlık durumu ve kronik bir hastalığa sahip olmanın sağlık hizmeti kullanımı ile istatistiksel olarak anlamlı şekilde ilişkili olduğu, kadınların sağlık hizmetlerini kullanım sıklığının erkeklere oranla 2,23 kat, en az bir kronik hastalığa sahip olan yaşlıların ise olmayanlara göre 3,27 kat fazla olduğu saptandı.
SONUÇ: Çalışmamızdaki veriler sağlık politikaları yapanlar ve program yöneticileri tarafından yaşlılar için sağlık hizmetlerine erişimin arttırılması amacıyla, özellikle sağlığın teşviki ve geliştirilmesi kampanyalarında kullanılabilir. Böylece kronik bir hastalık teşhisi konulduktan sonra, sağlık danışmanlarına başvurma olasılıklarının artması sağlanabilir ve oluşabilecek daha ciddi komplikasyonlar ve sakatlıklar önlenebilir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

yaşlı, sağlık hizmeti, kullanım, planlama, sağlık sigortası

Kaynakça

• 1. Yaylalı M, Kaynak S, Karaca Z. Health Services Demand: A Study in Erzurum. Ege Academic Review, 2012;12(4):563-73.
• 2. Şenol V, Çetinkaya F, Balcı E. Factors associated with health services utilization by the general population in the center of Kayseri, Turkey. Türkiye Klinikleri J Med Sci, 2010;30(2):721-30.
• 3. Geitona M, Zavras D, Kyriopoulos J. Determinants of healthcare utilization in Greece: implications for decision-making. Eur J Gen Pract, 2007;13:144-50.
• 4. Habtom GK, Ruys P. The choice of a health care provider in Eritrea. Health Policy, 2007;80(1);202-17.
• 5. Brown PH, Theoharides C. Health-Seeking Behavior and Hospital Choice in China’s New Cooperative Medical System. Health Econ, 2009;18(2):47-64.
• 6. Cotingting CT, Apal ZHL, Franco MBM, Lozano PNMG, Quion EMC, Tang CS, Cabigon JJJ. Examining determinants of health service utilisation among Filipino older people: A cross-sectional study. Australas J Ageing, 2019;38(1):31-6.
• 7. Habibov N. What determines healthcare utilization and related out-of-pocket expenditures in Tajikistan? Lessons from a national survey. Int J Public Health, 2009;54(4):260-6.
• 8. Wang Y, Hunt K, Nazareth I, Freemantle N, Petersen I. Do men consult less than women? An analysis of routinely collected UK general practice data. BMJ Open, 2013;3:1-7.
• 9. Carretero MT, Calderon-Larranaga A, Poblador-Plou B, Prados-Torres A. Primary health care use from the perspective of gender and morbidity burden. BMC Women’s Health, 2014;14:145-50.
• 10. Redondo-Sendino A, Guallar-Castillon P, Banegas JR, Rodriguez-Artalejo F. Gender differences in the utilisation of health-care services among the older adult population of Spain. BMC Public Health, 2006;6:155-60.
• 11. Al-Ghanim SA. Factors influencing the utilisation of public and private primary health care services in Riyadh City. Journal of King Abdulaziz University, 2004;19(1):3-27.
• 12. Gotsadze G, Bennett S, Ranson K, Gzirishvili D. Health care-seeking behaviour and out-of-pocket payments in Tbilisi, Georgia. Health Policy Plan, 2005;20(4):232-42.
• 13. Harper S. Economic and social implications of aging societies. Science, 2014; 346: 587-91.
• 14. Amaghionyeodiwe LA. Determinants of the choice of health care provider in Nigeria. Health Care Management Science, 2008;11:215-27.
• 15. Kermani MS, Ghaderi H, Yousefi A. Demand for medical care in the urban areas of Iran: an empirical investigation. Health Econ, 2008;17(7):849-62.
• 16. Thuan NTB, Lofgren C, Lindholm L, Chuc NTK. Choice of healthcare provider following reform in Vietnam. BMC Health Services Research, 2008;8(162):1-9.
• 17. Girma F, Jira C, Girma B. Health services utilization and associated factors in Jimma Zone, south west Ethiopia. Ethiop J Health Sci, 2011;21(Special Issue):91-100.
• 18. Polluste K, Kalda R, Lember M. Accessibility and use of health services among older Estonian population. Cent Eur JPublic Health, 2009;17:64-70.
• 19. Mahal A, McPake B. Health systems for aging societies in Asia and the Pacific. Health Syst Reform, 2017;3:149-53.