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Factors that influence Healthcare usage

LaTisha Anderson

HCS/235 Healthcare delivery in the US

09/30/2019

Dr. KY Borgstadt
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Factors that influence Healthcare usage

Health status and the need for health-care utilization. The World Health Organization

status that health is determined by a person’s individual characteristics and behaviors, physical

environment, and socioeconomic environment. Physical environment can affect health because

of pollutants or other environmental health hazards. People who have unmet social needs are

more likely to be frequent ED users, to have repeat “no-shows” for medical appointments, and

have pooter glycemic and cholesterol control than those who are able to meet their needs.

Factors that influence Healthcare usage

Ability to access care

Access requires gaining entry in the health- care system, getting access to sites of care

where patients can receive needed services, and finding providers who meet the needs of patients

and with whom patients can develop a relationship based mutual communication and trust.

Clinicians note that timely access to health care is important inasmuch as it might enable patients

and physicians to prevent illness, control acute episodes, or manage chronic conditions, any of

which could avoid exacerbation or complication of health conditions. Assuming that services are

available, access to care might be impeded by other barriers. One is inadequate transportation,

either because travel time is excessive, or no public transportation is prohibitive. Excessive wait

times to obtain appointments or to see providers at their places of service might also deter use.

There are many ways to think of access, and the term access is often used to describe

factors or characteristics that influence one’s initial contact with or use of service.

Conclusion
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Economic resources (such as income and wealth) enable access to material goods and

services, including health- care services. The extent of urbanization has been shown to associated

with health- care utilization in serval ways including the correlation of resident’s

sociodemographic characteristics with need, risk factors, and access to care. Urban and rural

locations differ in transit options, which affects whether patients can access care. Syed et al.

(2013) studied issues of cost, availability of transit, distance to healthcare providers, and travel

burden by time and distance.

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References

https://www.nap.edu/read/24969/chapter/4

Syed, S. T., B. S. Gerber, and L. K. Sharp. 2013. Traveling towards disease: Transportation
barriers to health care access. Journal of Community Health 38(5):976–993.