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Article
Publication date: 5 April 2013

Edward Nketiah‐Amponsah, Bernardin Senadza and Eric Arthur

The purpose of this paper is to estimate the key socio‐economic and demographic factors influencing the utilization of antenatal care services in Ghana.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to estimate the key socio‐economic and demographic factors influencing the utilization of antenatal care services in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper utilizes the most recent Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS V) data. The dependent variable is the intensity of utilization (number) of antenatal care visits. Hence, the negative binomial regression is employed to investigate the socio‐economic and demographic correlates of the intensity of antenatal care utilization in Ghana.

Findings

The study finds that wealth status, age, ownership of health insurance (especially for rural women), educational attainment, birth order, religion and administrative region of residence are significant predictors of the intensity of antenatal care services utilization. In particular, the utilization rate increases in wealth status. The authors also found significant statistical relationship between residence and antenatal care utilization. This finding reinforces the differences in health facilities between the rural and urban areas of Ghana. The authors did not, however, find evidence for proxies for financial and physical access.

Research limitations/implications

The GDHS survey lacks data on the distance to the nearest health facility where ANC is sought and a variable for the price of ANC visit. Proxies had to be used to capture these variables.

Practical implications

The fact that ownership of health insurance in rural areas increases the number of ANC visits makes it imperative to intensify health insurance awareness and enrollment campaigns in the rural areas so as to bridge the rural‐urban gap in ANC utilization. Also, while the free maternal health care policy for expecting mothers is laudable, a minimum level of wealth is required to induce antenatal care visitations. This is because household wealth status still plays a major role even in a free maternal health regime.

Originality/value

A new finding of the paper is the significant effect that ownership of health insurance has on the utilization of ANC services among rural women. While generally rural women have a lower propensity to use ANC services compared to urban women, the intensity of usage of ANC services tends to increase for rural women who own health insurance.

Details

African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, vol. 4 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-0705

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 May 2015

Genevieve Elizabeth O'Connor

The purpose of this paper is to identify how need for service, enabling factors and pre-disposing characteristics influences access to service. In addition, the authors seek to…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify how need for service, enabling factors and pre-disposing characteristics influences access to service. In addition, the authors seek to examine the moderating influence of pre-disposing variables on the relationship between insurance and health services utilization.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors utilize data from a major metropolitan hospital in the USA to test and extend the behavioral model of health care.

Findings

Results indicate that insurance and pre-disposing variables have a direct impact on type of health service utilization. However, the insurance effect is found to vary by demographic factors.

Research limitations/implications

This paper is limited to secondary data. Future work can incorporate both attitudinal and behavioral measures to obtain a more comprehensive evaluation of services access.

Practical implications

The research offers a tactical framework for management to segment consumer markets more effectively.

Social implications

Through the framework, management will have the requisite knowledge to target segmented populations based on need, insurance, and pre-disposing variables which will help improve access to services and clinical outcome.

Originality/value

The findings of this paper will serve as a basis for future research exploring the influence of insurance on access to services.

Details

International Journal of Bank Marketing, vol. 33 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-2323

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 28 September 2020

Matt T. Bagwell and Thomas T. H. Wan

Purpose – This study analyzed individual factors of race and dual eligibility on emergency room (ER) utilization of older adult Medicare patients treated by RHCs in CMS Region 4…

Abstract

Purpose – This study analyzed individual factors of race and dual eligibility on emergency room (ER) utilization of older adult Medicare patients treated by RHCs in CMS Region 4.

Methodology/approach – A prospective, longitudinal design was employed to analyze health disparities that potentially exist among RHC Medicare beneficiary patients (+65) in terms of ER use. The years of investigation were 2010 through 2012, using mixed multilevel, binary logistic regression.

Findings – This study found that dual eligible RHC patients utilized ER services at higher rates than nondual eligible, Medicare only RHC patients at: 77%, 80%, and 66%, in 2010, 2011, and 2012, respectively; and above the White reference group, Black RHC Medicare patients utilized ER services at higher rates of: 18%, 20%, and 34%, in 2010, 2011, and 2012, respectively.

Research limitations/implications – Regarding limitations, cohort data observations within the window of 3 years were only analyzed; regarding generalizability, in different CMS regions, results will likely vary; and linking other variables together in the study was limited by the accessible data. Future research should consider these limitations, and attempt to refine. The findings support that dual Medicare and Medicaid eligibility, as a proxy measure of socioeconomic status, and race continue to influence higher rates of ER utilization in CMS Region 4.

Originality/value – In terms of ER utilization disparities, persistently, as recent as 2012, Black, dual eligible RHC Medicare beneficiary patients age 65 years and over may be twice as likely to utilize ER services for care than their counterparts in the Southeastern United States.

Details

Race, Ethnicity, Gender and Other Social Characteristics as Factors in Health and Health Care Disparities
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83982-798-3

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 January 2019

Joanna Khoo, Helen Hasan and Kathy Eagar

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to present patient-level utilisation patterns of hospital-based mental health services funded by private health insurers; and second…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to present patient-level utilisation patterns of hospital-based mental health services funded by private health insurers; and second, to examine the implications of the findings for planning and delivering private mental health services in Australia.

Design/methodology/approach

Analysing private health insurance claims data, this study compares differences in demographic and hospital utilisation characteristics of 3,209 patients from 13 private health insurance funds with claims for mental health-related hospitalisations and 233,701 patients with claims for other types of hospitalisations for the period May 2014 to April 2016. Average number of overnight admissions, length of stay and per patient insurer costs are presented for each group, along with overnight admissions vs same-day visits and repeat services within a 28-day period following hospitalisation. Challenges in analysing and interpreting insurance claims data to better understand private mental health service utilisation are discussed.

Findings

Patients with claims for mental health-related hospitalisations are more likely to be female (62.0 per cent compared to 55.8 per cent), and are significantly younger than patients with claims for other types of hospitalisations (32.6 per cent of patients aged 55 years and over compared to 57.1 per cent). Patients with claims for mental health-related hospitalisations have significantly higher levels of service utilisation than the group with claims for other types of hospitalisations with a mean length of stay per overnight admission of 15.0 days (SD=14.1), a mean of 1.3 overnight admissions annually (SD=1.2) and mean hospital costs paid by the insurer of $13,192 per patient (SD=13,457) compared to 4.6 days (SD=7.3), 0.8 admissions (SD=0.6) and $2,065 per patient (SD=4,346), respectively, for patients with claims for other types of hospitalisations. More than half of patients with claims for mental health-related hospitalisations only claim for overnight admissions. However, the findings are difficult to interpret due to the limited information collected in insurance claims data.

Practical implications

This study shows the challenges of understanding utilisation patterns with one data source. Analysing insurance claims reveals information on mental health-related hospitalisations but information on community-based care is lacking due to the regulated role of the private health insurance sector in Australia. For mental health conditions, and other chronic health conditions, multiple data sources need to be integrated to build a comprehensive picture of health service use as care tends to be provided in multiple settings by different medical and allied health professionals.

Originality/value

This study contributes in two areas: patient-level trends in hospital-based mental health service utilisation claimed on private health insurance in Australia have not been previously reported. Additionally, as the amount of data routinely collected in health care settings increases, the study findings demonstrate that it is important to assess the quality of these data sources for understanding service utilisation.

Details

Journal of Health Organization and Management, vol. 33 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7266

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 14 August 2014

Galen H. Smith and Teresa L. Scheid

The race concordance hypothesis suggests that matching patients and health providers on the basis of race improves communication and patients’ perceptions of health care, and by…

Abstract

Purpose

The race concordance hypothesis suggests that matching patients and health providers on the basis of race improves communication and patients’ perceptions of health care, and by extension, encourages patients to seek and utilize health care, which may reduce health disparities. However, relatively few studies have examined the impact of race concordance on the utilization of health services. This chapter is grounded on Andersen’s Emerging Model of Health Services Utilization (Phase 4) and extends that model to include race concordance.

Methodology/approach

The data were collected from a stratified random sample of adult beneficiaries enrolled in North Carolina Medicaid’s primary care case management delivery system in 2006–2007. Propensity score matching techniques were used to sort respondents on their propensity for race concordance and indices were constructed to generate key control variables. Poisson regression was used to examine the impact of race concordance on the utilization of primary care and emergency room care, under the assumption that race concordance would increase the use of primary care and decrease the use of emergency care for minority patients.

Findings

While blacks (compared to whites) used less primary care and had more emergency care visits, race concordance was not a statistically significant predictor of either primary care or emergency room use. However, patients’ satisfaction with their primary care providers was associated with significantly fewer primary care and emergency care visits while trust in one’s provider was associated with more primary care visits.

Research implications

The study findings suggest that the central premises of the race concordance hypothesis require further study to confirm the assumption that better patient – primary care provider relationships result in less utilization of more costly and resource-intensive forms of health care.

Value of chapter

The study makes a valuable contribution by expanding the relatively small body of literature dedicated to exploring the impact of race concordance on health services utilization. Additionally, by virtue of researching the experience of Medicaid enrollees, the study controls for health insurance status.

Details

Social Determinants, Health Disparities and Linkages to Health and Health Care
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-588-3

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 June 2011

Patience Aseweh Abor, Gordon Abekah‐Nkrumah, Kojo Sakyi, Charles K.D. Adjasi and Joshua Abor

The study aims to examine the socio‐economic determinants of maternal health services utilization in Ghana.

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Abstract

Purpose

The study aims to examine the socio‐economic determinants of maternal health services utilization in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

Probit and ordered probit models are employed in this study.

Findings

The results generally indicate that most women in Ghana undertake the required visits for antenatal services and also take both doses of the tetanus toxoid vaccine as required by World Health Organization. However, the results show low levels of usage in terms of the other maternal health care services (i.e. prenatal care, delivery at a health facility, and postnatal care). There is clearly an urgent need to develop innovative strategies that will help upscale intervention especially for improvement in the use of these services by women in Ghana. The regression results reveal that utilization of maternal health services and intensity of use of antenatal services are influenced by age of mother, type of birth, education of mother, ethnicity, economic status, geographic location, residence, and religious affiliation. Obviously, this suggests that more than medical factors are responsible for the differences in the use of maternal health services by women in Ghana as well as the decision on the number of visits to undertake with respect to antenatal visits.

Originality/value

The findings of this study have important implications for health policy formulation targeted at improving maternal health care service utilization.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 38 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 May 2012

Mohammad Hajizadeh, Luke B. Connelly, James R.G. Butler and Aredshir Khosravi

This paper uses a unique nationwide survey data derived from the 2003 Utilisation of Health Services Survey (UHSS) in Iran (n=16,935) to analyse inequities of health care

Abstract

Purpose

This paper uses a unique nationwide survey data derived from the 2003 Utilisation of Health Services Survey (UHSS) in Iran (n=16,935) to analyse inequities of health care utilisation.

Design/methodology/approach

Concentration indices are used to measure socioeconomic inequality in actual use of the five types of health services, and in unmet need for two of those types of service (any ambulatory care and hospital admissions). Horizontal inequity indices are employed to examine inequity in ambulatory and hospital care. Generalised linear model (GLM) was employed to investigate factors contributing to the phenomena of “unmet need” and “met unneed”. Moreover, a decomposition analysis of inequality is performed to determine the contributions of each factor to the inequality of “unmet need”.

Findings

Results suggest that self‐reported need for ambulatory and inpatient care is concentrated among the poor, whereas the utilisation of ambulatory and inpatient care were generally distributed proportionally. Results of horizontal inequity indices show that the distributions of any ambulatory care and hospital admissions are pro‐rich. The probability of “unmet need” for ambulatory care was higher among wealthier individuals. The decomposition analysis demonstrates that the wealth index, health insurance, and region of residence are the most important factors contributing to the concentration of “unmet need” for ambulatory health care among the poor. Results also illustrate that higher wealth quintiles used more unneeded ambulatory care than their poorer counterparts.

Originality/value

A special characteristic of the UHSS is that it contains questions about the need for medical services use and about actual services use. This characteristic provides an opportunity to measure the inequality of health care consumption against self‐assessed treatment needs, as well as an analysis of which observables are associated with “unmet need”. Moreover, the incidence of health care use when it is reported as not needed can be analysed with this dataset. The analysis of this phenomenon – which we refer to as “met unneed” – is another novel aspect of this work.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 39 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1986

A.Y. Ellencweig and O. Grafstein MPH

The paper defines the concept of inequity in health care and reviews the various approaches to identify causal relationships which lead to inequitable health outcomes. Notably…

Abstract

The paper defines the concept of inequity in health care and reviews the various approaches to identify causal relationships which lead to inequitable health outcomes. Notably, the input and process of health care delivery, the medical and social need factors, the external environment and the indirect influences channeled through ‘mediating’ factors. It further proposes a comprehensive model which integrates the combined effects of the several categories of components involved in determining inequitable outcomes between groups and individuals. While not exhaustive, the model provides a systematic attempt to define and trace inequities in health and potential causes of such, in operational terms. It can be used, therefore, for practical measurement of levels of inequity in outcomes.

Details

Journal of Management in Medicine, vol. 1 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-9235

Book part
Publication date: 6 July 2007

Pilar García Gómez and Angel López Nicolás

This paper reports an analysis of the evolution of equity in the utilisation of health care in Spain over the period 1987–2001, a time span covering the development of the modern…

Abstract

This paper reports an analysis of the evolution of equity in the utilisation of health care in Spain over the period 1987–2001, a time span covering the development of the modern Spanish National Health System. Our measures of utilisation are the probabilities of visiting a doctor, using emergency services and being hospitalised. For these three measures, we obtain indices of horizontal inequity from microeconometric models of utilisation that exploit the individual information in the Spanish National Health Surveys of 1987 and 2001. We find that by 2001, the system had improved insofar as differences in income no longer lead to differences in utilisation given the same level of need. However, tenure of private health insurance leads to differences in utilisation given the same level of need, and its contribution to inequity has increased over time, both because insurance is more concentrated among the rich and because the elasticity of utilisation for the three services has also increased.

Details

Equity
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-7623-1450-8

Article
Publication date: 8 March 2022

Bahman Ahadinezhad, Omid Khosravizadeh, Sima Rafiei and Aisa Maleki

It can be said that the most important function of the health system is to provide health-care services. This directly affects society’s health and justice. To the best of the…

Abstract

Purpose

It can be said that the most important function of the health system is to provide health-care services. This directly affects society’s health and justice. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first study that has meta-analyzed the percentage of health services utilization among Iranians to answer this question “How much is the percentage of health-care services utilization in Iran?”

Design/methodology/approach

This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis conducted in 2020. The literature review was done by searching the databases of Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, SID, Magiran and Irandoc from January 2010 to August 2020. Pooled utilization percentage (UP) was estimated by STATA 15 through random-effects meta-analysis with 95% confidence interval. The I2 statistic was used to investigate the possibility of heterogeneity of articles (I2 ≥ 50% indicate heterogeneity). A forest plot was applied to report the results. A funnel plot exploited due to publication bias assessment.

Findings

Approximately 22% of the reviewed articles have been done at the national level of Iran. Most studies have examined the utilization of outpatient and inpatient services. Based on the random effects method, the pooled value of UP was obtained at 47.82%, (95% CI: 39.33–56.31). Also, the pooled percentage of utilization was statistically significant (Test of UP = 0, Z = 456.44, p = 0.000).

Practical implications

Policymakers can improve the level of utilization from health services by expanding universal coverage, expanding insurance coverage and removing direct and indirect barriers.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic review and meta-analysis on health services utilization in Iran that completely considers the utilization rate in all health services and states the practical solutions to cope with utilization deficiencies and barriers.

Details

International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare, vol. 16 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-4902

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 14000