Health care Utilization Paper

Health care Utilization

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Health care Utilization

There are several factors that affect the usage of health care. These factors can either encourage or discourage a population from using health care services. Among these factors are socio-economic status and health status. Socio-economic status in a community is usually measured according to several factors like the level of education, wealth and demographic factors. Demographic factors that are mostly looked at in a community include the ethnic background, gender and age. The socio-economic status in a community plays an important role on utilization of health care because it has an effect on features such as need, acknowledgement, reaction to symptom, understanding of disease, inspiration to get well and the access and option of health services. (Schaller & Stevens, 2015)

(Schaller & Stevens, 2015) shares that in a community, you can either have higher or lower socio-economic status which is determined by education and wealth. Persons with lower socio-economic status have a risks in experiencing greater stages of disease and death. The young persons are most likely to encounter a disproportionate use of healthcare when they age. However, persons with higher socio-economic status tend to use health care a lot. They are able to make regular visits to the hospital either preventive or clinical. In terms of gender, women have been known to make more usage of health care than men. Age is also a significant feature in socio-economic status. The elderly persons tend to use health care a lot compared to the youths.

Health status is also another factor that affects the usage of health care. The health status of a population is the most significant factor. According to (Schaller & Stevens, 2015), when a population has a lower health status then there is an increased need for usage of health care. This is because they are in need of health care services that require them to go for visits that are either clinical, physical or hospitalized. Most persons who have chronic diseases or disabilities whether young or elderly in a population tend to make multiple visits to the hospital accessing health care services regularly. A population with a higher health status tend to not fall sick and thus are less likely to use health care services.

A delay in access to health care can affect the health status of an individual such that it can eventually lead to hospitalization or death. According to (Schaller & Stevens, 2015), taking time to access health care while experiencing certain symptoms can impose serious health risks that require more financial input and might not be met at the right time. The patient can also lack the preventive services or hospitalizations used. The patient is also likely to experience a delay in being given the care he or she requires.

Reference

J Schaller, AH Stevens. (2015), Short-run effects on health conditions, health insurance, and health care utilization

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