Social networks and health service utilization

While social networks have been examined in the context of many economic choices and outcomes, this study is the first to investigate the effects of social networks on health service utilization decisions. Networks can affect utilization decisions in many ways. They can provide information on institutional details of the health care system, and can reduce the search costs of locating an appropriate health care provider. Networks can even alter the demand for services by affecting the perceived efficacy or desirability of the available services. Using health service utilization decisions to study networks has two main advantages over work that studies other public programs. First, because health care in Canada is universal, there are no questions of eligibility. Second, by studying the different measures of utilization, it is possible to observe how the network effects vary across measures that reflect visits primarily instigated by the patient, to measures that reflect visits instigated by both patients and their physician. Using data from three cycles of the Canadian National Population Health Survey, this work exploits regional and language group variation to identify network effects. Strong and robust evidence of networks effects is found on the decision to utilize services reflecting initial contact with the health care system. As well, this work presents novel evidence that utilization of health services by immigrants increases with the number of doctors that speak their language in their neighborhood.     

职工医疗保险改革对卫生服务公平性的影响

文章从政策和卫生服务利用两个方面,对职工医疗保险改革进行分析.改革提高了卫生服务筹资和居民健康保障的社会化程度,增加了个人卫生投入,树立了参保者的费用意识,对遏止卫生服务费用的快速上涨起到了积极作用.但个人帐户和统筹基金的分配比例不尽合理,客观上也抑制了居民的卫生服务利用,且对卫生服务供方的管理与监督缺乏有效的措施.建议建立医疗保险事务管理机构,加强供需双方的管理与监督,促进卫生服务的合理利用,变押制需求为调节需求.     

Age and gender differences in health service utilization

BACKGROUND: This study of age and gender profiles of health care populations fills a gap in the research literature by providing a population study of both single health agency and inter-agency 'Shared Care' populations. METHODS: It combines anonymous data to link individual cases across Community Health (N = 82 751), Mental Health (N = 19 029) and Social Services (N = 19 461) populations in one county Health Authority (N = 646 239) over 3 years. It compares age and gender characteristics of single care populations and overlapping inter-agency 'Shared Care'populations. RESULTS: Approximately two-thirds of all care populations were female compared to half (513.1) in the general Health Authority population. These differences were accentuated for almost all inter-agency 'Shared Care' populations, where, whilst a younger care profile emerged for mental health and social services dual agency clients, for other shared populations a distinct care profile emerged of greater proportions of older, female and older female patients. Gender differences were also apparent for different care groups within a total Community Health care population. Whilst females made much more use of services overall, in Community Health, older males were more likely to receive rehabilitative support services. CONCLUSION: Age and gender profiles of health care agency and inter-agency populations clarify service use patterns and identify high proportions of women in health and social care populations, particularly in older care populations. This type of care population analysis could inform single agency and inter-agency shared care planning and commissioning.     

广州市生殖健康家庭服务利用及其影响因素分析

目的:了解广东省广州市居民生殖健康家庭服务利用情况,并分析其影响因素.方法:2010年4月在广州市所辖的12个行政区(县)中抽取5个行政区,在每个行政区中抽取2个有代表性的社区.在抽取的10个社区,采取整群抽样的方法抽取出1 247名18 ～50周岁社区居民进行问卷调查.结果:调查对象年龄集中在20 ～44岁(82.7％),女性居多(74.3％),大部分居民的文化程度为初中/高中/中专(53.5％),婚姻状况以已婚为主(82.8％),广州市户籍人口794人(63.7％).仅36.1％的居民曾利用过生殖健康家庭服务,服务内容主要包括妇科疾病上门防治、建立家庭健康档案和计划生育术后上门随访等.通过构建logistic回归模型进行分析,结果发现调查对象为女性、婚姻状态为已婚、家里有5岁以下儿童、非广州市户籍人口的居民生殖健康家庭服务利用率较高.结论:进一步发展生殖健康家庭服务需要从改善生殖健康家庭服务利用率和更多关注年轻未婚人群的生殖健康家庭服务等方面进行努力.     

Mental health service utilization among the Arabs in Israel

National hospitalization records (1995, 1986, N = 15,698) reveal that Arab women utilize psychiatric services less than Arab men. The exact reverse occurs among Jewish patients. Moreover, Arab patients significantly underutilize mental health services, compared to Jewish patients. Possible reasons for these utilization patterns include: Arab health care utilization patterns in general; the availability of mental health services in Arab communities; the influence of the "cultural" over the "professional" in Arab mental health utilization; the lack of Arab mental health practitioners; Arab attitudes towards mental health; and gendered role constructions within Arab society. Findings emphasize the need for a policy of developing infrastructure and trained personnel that can provide services adapted to the special cultural characteristics of the Arab population.     

Static, dynamic, integrated, and contextualized: A framework for understanding mental health service utilization among young adults

Research has illuminated the problem of untreated mental illness among young adults, including evidence that young people who exit public care systems often discontinue mental health services in adulthood. The present study explored mental health service use experiences during the transition to adulthood among sixty young adults, ages 18-25, from a Midwestern U.S. state. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted. All participants had mood difficulties, and shared three childhood experiences: (a) mood disorder diagnosis; (b) use of public mental health services; and (c) experience with social service systems. Immersion and grounded theory coding techniques were applied to the interview data. Two major themes about mental health service use emerged from the findings, namely the changing nature of service use over time and characterizations of experiences associated with service use at a given point in time. Categories of explanatory constructs that emerged in the latter theme included perceived need, emotions, perceived efficacy of services, and social considerations, among others. Findings suggested a four-facet mid-level theory of service utilization, highlighting both the cross-sectional and time-variant character of service use and decision-making within context. Links between broader theoretical frameworks of service utilization and social psychological models of decision making were noted, and guidelines were presented for ten classes of variables that researchers interested in understanding service use by young adults should consider.     

现行医疗保险制度对住院患者就医行为影响的调查研究

通过对不同医疗保险住院患者的就医行为的调查，了解我国卫生体制改革后，新的医疗保险制度在规范和调解医疗服务市场中所起的作用，为不断完善我国医疗保险制度，不断提高我国医疗保险管理水平提供参考资料。我们采用问卷调查方式，对成都市5个城区14家医院的574名住院患者进行调查。结果发现医疗保险情况、年龄、职业和收入对患者的就医行为有影响。     

医保政策对社区卫生服务利用的影响研究

通过分析2005年以来浙江省医疗保险参保人员对社区卫生服务的利用情况，并结合随机偶遇调查，分析参保人员择医行为的主要影响因素，发现：构建社区卫生服务体系的核心是要提高其医疗水平。为此建议：要科学系统地制定社区卫生服务体系构建的规划，进一步建立健全全科医生制度及其培训制度，多方引导参保人员适时调整择医行为，引导参保人员前往社区卫生服务机构就诊。     

Effects of health literacy on health status and health service utilization amongst the elderly

Amid increased concerns about the adverse consequences of low health literacy, it remains unclear how health literacy affects health status and health service utilization. With a sample of 489 elderly Medicare patients in a Midwestern city in the USA, we explored the intermediate factors that may link health literacy to health status and utilization of health services such as hospitalization and emergency care. We expected to find that individuals with higher health literacy would have better health status and less frequent use of emergency room and hospital services due to (1) greater disease knowledge, (2) healthier behaviors, (3) greater use of preventive care, and (4) a higher degree of compliance with medication. Using path analysis, we found, however, that health literacy had direct effects on health outcomes and that none of these variables of interest was a significant intermediate factor through which health literacy affected use of hospital services. Our findings suggest that improving health literacy may be an effective strategy to improve health status and to reduce the use of expensive hospital and emergency room services among elderly patients.     

Toward an understanding of competency identification and assessment in health care management

Given the revolutionary changes occurring in the health care industry, there is increasing agreement that academicians and practitioners must collaborate to identify and prioritize major educational outcomes for health care management. Several competency initiatives have been undertaken or completed in health care and health care management in the last 5 to 7 years. Health care leaders who have undertaken such endeavors reveal that the task is most formidable. This article provides: (1) a summary of progress in competency identification for health management, (2) an historical overview on competency-based education and assessment, (3) a glossary of terms used in discussions on competency-based education and training, and (4) an outline of the challenges and benefits associated with competency modeling.     

老年人口卫生服务利用现状及影响因素分析

目的 了解60岁及以上老年人卫生服务利用情况,探究影响老年人卫生服务利用的因素。方法 利用2016年居民卫生服务利用行为监测中老年人口的调查资料,进行统计分析,单因素分析利用〖XC小五号.EPS;P〗检验,多因素分析利用二分类logistic回归。结果 调查的2545名老年人口中,患病率75.44%,主要以慢性病为主,慢性病患病率为64.24%,就诊率为45.83%。影响因素结果显示,城市地区、广东地区、未参加新型农村合作医疗、未参加城乡居民合作医疗、未参加商业医疗保险以及患有多种慢性病的老年患者的就诊率较高。结论 老年患者的就诊率较低,其中城乡类型、不同地区、是否参加新型农村合作医疗、是否参加城乡居民合作医疗、是否参加商业医疗保险以及是否患有多种慢性病是影响老年患者就诊的因素。     

中医心理疗法在社区卫生服务中的运用与思考

祖国医学十分重视心理治疗的作用,在病因、病机、诊断、治疗、养生等环节,都贯穿着心理学的思想内容。中医心理疗法因其注重天人合一、心身并治的观点,简单易行、安全有效的方法,与社区卫生服务提供“六位一体”便捷、可及、有效的服务功能不谋而合,得到了广泛的运用。在心身疾病日益增多的今天,将中医心理治疗融入社区卫生服务体系,推动中医药社区卫生服务建设必将有越来越宽广的发展前景。     

Medicaid behavioral health care plan satisfaction and children's service utilization

This study examines associations between caregivers' satisfaction with children's Medicaid-funded behavioral health care plans and the likelihood that children with severe emotional disturbance receive mental health services. Data are from a multisite study of managed care versus fee-for-service (FFS) settings. In multivariate logistic regression analyses controlling for demographic, environmental, site, and clinical characteristics, plan satisfaction was associated with greater likelihood of subsequent service use regardless of managed care versus FFS setting. Children in managed care plans were less likely to use intensive residential and non-traditional outpatient services. Efforts to increase plan satisfaction may encourage service use, consequently, improving children's behavioral health outcomes.     

河南省居民卫生服务利用公平性评价

目的 了解河南省居民健康状况、卫生服务利用状况,分析不同收入水平居民卫生服务利用的公平性。方法 利用2013年8-12月第五次国家卫生服务调查中河南省数据,对其中≥15岁的27 140名居民进行分析,运用收入五分组法计算卫生服务利用集中指数（CI）。结果 河南省居民两周患病率为27.37%;其中城市居民为33.43%,农村居民为21.15%;男性为25.65%,女性为28.98%;≥65岁（58.22%）,丧偶（58.93%）,小学及以下学历（38.32%）,离退休（63.99%）,最高与最低收入组居民（31.37%、30.36%）两周患病率较高。居民慢性病患病率为31.50%,城市居民为35.19%,农村居民为27.72%;男性为29.03%,女性为33.82%;≥65岁（75.79%）,丧偶（74.10%）,小学及以下学历（49.94%）,离退休（73.73%）,最低收入组居民（39.80%）两周患病率较高。城市居民两周患病率、慢性病患病率CI值分别为-0.01、0.01;农村居民两周患病率、慢性病患病率CI值分别为-0.05、-0.10。不同城乡分布、性别、年龄、婚姻、文化、就业、人均年收入、医保的居民两周患病就诊率差异均有统计学意义（P<0.001）;城市为25.64%,农村为51.49%;男性为36.64%,女性为34.57%;15~24岁（75.53%）、未婚（54.34%）、技工及中专学历（36.88%）、在校学生（68.89%）两周患病就诊率最高,最高收入组两周患病就诊率最低（30.72%）。不同年龄、收入水平人群应住院而未住院率差异均有统计学意义（P<0.001）,25~34岁（6.39%）和最高收入组（18.43%）应住院而未住院率最低。城乡居民两周患病未就诊率CI值分别为-0.01、0.02;应住院而未住院率CI值分别为-0.05、-0.09。结论 城乡居民住院服务利用均存在不公平性,高收入人群利用的更多,经济困难是限制城乡居民住院服务利用的主要因素。     

农村居民健康状况及卫生服务利用调查

目的 了解并分析不同地区农村居民卫生服务利用情况及主要影响因素,完善我国农村公共卫生服务体系,提高农民健康水平。方法 采用分层整群随机抽样方法抽取四川省安岳、安微省临泉、山东省曹县和茌平县4个县的2 499人进行入户调查;采用Excel和SPSS 13.0软件进行统计分析。结果 4个县居民2周患病率为186.1‰,性别、年龄、文化、婚姻和收入均对其有影响;2周就诊率为113.4‰,影响因素为年龄、文化、婚姻和收入;年住院率为5.4%,性别为影响因素;多因素分析排除混杂因素后,居民患病以及就诊主要影响因素为年龄、文化程度和收入水平。结论 增加农民收入,提高农民文化水平,完善新型农村合作医疗制度,有助于改善农村居民对卫生服务的利用。     

Factors associated with health service utilization patterns in low-income women

Little is known about the relationship of demographic, health, and psychosocial factors with health services utilization over time among low-income female heads of household. In a case-control study conducted between 1991 and 1997, 273 homeless and low-income housed mothers living in Worcester, Massachusetts were interviewed at baseline and at a two-year follow-up. The use of outpatient and emergency department care in this study sample was examined. High usage patterns were found at baseline. At the two-year follow-up, poor health status, non-White race, and fewer supportive relationships were significantly associated with frequent emergency department visits. Women with higher rates of ongoing outpatient medical care visits were more likely to have fewer social supports and more bodily pain than women with lower rates of ambulatory care usage. Mental health and victimization were not associated with service use patterns. In order to address poor women's needs in a more effective and potentially less costly way, health programs must understand their need for social support and culturally responsive services.     

Insurance, acculturation, and health service utilization among Korean-Americans

This study describes the pattern and predictors of ambulatory care utilization among Korean Americans (KAs) living in Los Angeles. Data were gathered via a mail survey. Analysis employed a two-part model: logit model for factors affecting any health care use and truncated negative binomial model for frequency of use given one visit. Use of ambulatory care among KAs was low (2.80 visits during prior 12 months), compared to their counterparts in South Korea and the U.S. population. Variables associated with higher utilization included old age, health needs, and health insurance. Income had a positive effect on health care utilization decisions among the uninsured. Acculturation appeared to be neither a strong nor consistent predictor of ambulatory care utilization among KAs. Of particular concern is the finding that KAs suffer from inadequate access to care due to lack of employment-based health insurance.