Beforehand Enquiry About Health Care Practitioners and Delivery Places Among the General Population in A Rural District in An Indian Southern State- An Exploratory Factor Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55489/njcm.150620243855Keywords:
Beforehand enquiry, Health care practitioners, Healthcare delivery placesAbstract
Background: In recent years, many countries have embraced demand-driven healthcare systems, emphasizing patient choice and pre-enquiry in selecting healthcare providers. The purpose is to assess the occurrence and factors influencing beforehand enquiry of the general rural population regarding the health care practitioners and delivery places
Materials and methods: The study was a cross-sectional survey conducted over 2 months among 1100 participants in Perambalur district, Tamil Nadu. The study utilized a questionnaire gathering sociodemographic data and 20 questions about healthcare enquiries, including place/person of enquiry, information source, enquiry characteristics, and reliability. Bivariate analysis identified significant predictor variables, while principal component analysis with Varimax rotation determined core factors.
Results: The study found that 68.8% of participants (757 individuals) enquired about healthcare facilities and professionals before visiting. Core factors influencing these enquiries included healthcare professionals, hospitals, subjects, and cost concerns. Enquiries about healthcare places were mainly influenced by discussions with relatives, travel issues, and costs. Regarding healthcare professionals, characteristics such as communication skills, physician quality, previous patient experiences, and costs played significant roles in pre-enquiries.
Conclusion: Patient enquiries are influenced by diverse factors and may not always be rational. Providing truthful information is crucial to support informed decision-making in healthcare.
References
Ben Ayed M, El Aoud N. The patient empowerment: A promising concept in healthcare marketing. [Internet]. 2016 Jan 2 [cited 2023 Jul 27];10(1):42-8. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/20479700.2016.1268326
Buntin MB, Damberg C, Haviland A, Kapur K, Lurie N, McDevitt R, et al. Consumer-directed health care: early evidence about effects on cost and quality. Health Aff (Millwood) [Internet]. 2006 Nov [cited 2023 Feb 4];25(6). Doi: https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.25.w516 PMid:17062591
Grytten J, Sørensen RJ. Patient choice and access to primary physician services in Norway. Health Econ Policy Law [Internet]. 2009 [cited 2023 Feb 4];4(Pt 1):11-27. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1744133108004623 PMid:19099615
Ranerup A, Norén L, Sparud-Lundin C. Decision support systems for choosing a primary health care provider in Sweden. Patient Educ Couns. 2012 Mar;86(3):342-7. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2011.06.013 PMid:21778027
Chauhan V, Sharma A, Sagar M. Exploring patient choice in India: A study on hospital selection. Int J Healthc Manag [Internet]. 2021;14(2):610-20. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/20479700.2019.1679520
Mosadeghrad AM. Factors Affecting Medical Service Quality. Iran J Public Health. 2014 Feb;43(2):210-20. Doi: https://doi.org/10.15171/ijhpm.2014.65 PMid:25114946 PMCid:PMC4122083
Mosadeghrad AM. Factors influencing healthcare service quality. Int J Heal policy Manag. 2014 Jul;3(2):77-89. Doi: https://doi.org/10.15171/ijhpm.2014.65 PMid:25114946 PMCid:PMC4122083
Poureslami I, Tregobov N, Shum J, McMillan A, Akhtar A, Kassay S, et al. A conceptual model of functional health literacy to improve chronic airway disease outcomes. BMC Public Health. 2021 Jan;21(1):252. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10313-x PMid:33516200 PMCid:PMC7847605
Bujnowska-Fedak MM, Węgierek P. The Impact of Online Health Information on Patient Health Behaviours and Making Decisions Concerning Health. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Jan;17(3). Doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030880 PMid:32023828 PMCid:PMC7037991
World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki: ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. JAMA. 2013 Nov;310(20):2191-4. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2013.281053 PMid:24141714
Bahadori M, Teymourzadeh E, Ravangard R, Nasiri A, Raadabadi M, Alimohammadzadeh K. Factors contributing towards patient's choice of a hospital clinic from the patients' and managers' perspective. Electron physician. 2016 May;8(5):2378-87. Doi: https://doi.org/10.19082/2378 PMid:27382448 PMCid:PMC4930258
Lux MP, Fasching PA, Schrauder M, Löhberg C, Thiel F, Bani MR, et al. The era of centers: the influence of establishing specialized centers on patients' choice of hospital. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2011 Mar;283(3):559-68. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-010-1398-0 PMid:20180128
Miller L, May D. Patient choice in the NHS How critical are facilities services in influencing patient choice? In: Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive. 2006. p. 354-64. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/02632770610677637
Arora R, Singer J, Arora A. Influence of key variables on the patients' choice of a physician. Qual Manag Health Care. 2004;13(3):166-73. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/00019514-200407000-00003 PMid:15354588
Yin S, Hu M, Chen W. Quality Perceptions and Choice of Public Health Facilities: A Mediation Effect Analysis of Outpatient Experience in Rural China. Patient Prefer Adherence. 2022;16:2089-102. Doi: https://doi.org/10.2147/PPA.S370805 PMid:35983546 PMCid:PMC9381010
Liu Y, Kong Q, Yuan S, Van De Klundert J. Factors influencing choice of health system access level in China: A systematic review. PLoS One [Internet]. 2018 Aug 1 [cited 2023 Jul 27];13(8):e0201887. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0201887 PMid:30096171 PMCid:PMC6086423
Bojanapu S, Mathur M, Jacob J, Sharma A, Nundy S. Patient preference for a particular hospital: A prospective questionnaire-based investigation from India. Curr Med Res Pract [Internet]. 2020;10(6). Doi: https://doi.org/10.4103/cmrp.cmrp_55_20
Liu Y, Zhong L, Yuan S, Klundert J van de. Why patients prefer high-level healthcare facilities: a qualitative study using focus groups in rural and urban China. BMJ Glob Heal [Internet]. 2018 Sep 1;3(5):e000854. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2018-000854 PMid:30258653 PMCid:PMC6150133
Roh C-Y, Lee K-H, Fottler MD. Determinants of hospital choice of rural hospital patients: the impact of networks, service scopes, and market competition. J Med Syst. 2008 Aug;32(4):343-53. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-008-9139-7 PMid:18619098
Robertson R, Burge P. The impact of patient choice of provider on equity: analysis of a patient survey. J Health Serv Res Policy. 2011 Apr;16 Suppl 1:22-8. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1258/jhsrp.2010.010084 PMid:21460346
Singh S, Lakshmi V, Somu G, Kamath R. Determinants of Hospital Choice among Patients and Perceptions of the Same among Hospital Employees in a Tertiary Care Corporate Hospital in Mumbai, India. Open Public Health J. 2022;15(1):1-17. Doi: https://doi.org/10.2174/18749445-v15-e221205-2022-126
Victoor A, Delnoij DM, Friele RD, Rademakers JJ. Determinants of patient choice of healthcare providers: A scoping review. BMC Health Serv Res [Internet]. 2012;12(1):1. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-12-272 PMid:22913549 PMCid:PMC3502383
Jiang S, Gu Y, Yang F, Wu T, Wang H, Cutler H, et al. Tertiary hospitals or community clinics? An enquiry into the factors affecting patients' choice for healthcare facilities in urban China. China Econ Rev [Internet]. 2020;63:101538. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chieco.2020.101538
Bernard ME, Sadikman JC, Sadikman CL. Factors influencing patients' choice of primary medical doctors. Minn Med. 2006 Jan;89(1):46-50.
Ahmad F, Gupta H, Rawlins J, Stewart DE. Preferences for gender of family physician among Canadian European-descent and South-Asian immigrant women. Fam Pract. 2002 Apr;19(2):146-53. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/fampra/19.2.146 PMid:11906979
Biglu M-H, Nateq F, Ghojazadeh M, Asgharzadeh A. Communication Skills of Physicians and Patients' Satisfaction. Mater Sociomed. 2017 Sep;29(3):192-5. Doi: https://doi.org/10.5455/msm.2017.29.192-195 PMid:29109665 PMCid:PMC5644191
Vahdat S, Hamzehgardeshi L, Hessam S, Hamzehgardeshi Z. Patient involvement in health care decision making: a review. Iran Red Crescent Med J. 2014 Jan;16(1):e12454. Doi: https://doi.org/10.5812/ircmj.12454 PMid:24719703 PMCid:PMC3964421
Harris KM. How do patients choose physicians? Evidence from a national survey of enrollees in employment-related health plans. Health Serv Res. 2003 Apr;38(2):711-32. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.00141 PMid:12785569 PMCid:PMC1360911
Chandra S, Ward P, Mohammadnezhad M. Factors associated with patient satisfaction in outpatient department of Suva sub-divisional health center, Fiji, 2018: A mixed method study. Front Public Heal. 2019;7(JUL):1-10. Doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00183 PMid:31312630 PMCid:PMC6614334
Yu X, Bao H, Shi J, Yuan X, Qian L, Feng Z, et al. Preferences for healthcare services among hypertension patients in China: a discrete choice experiment. BMJ Open. 2021 Dec;11(12):e053270. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-053270 PMid:34876431 PMCid:PMC8655589
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Neethu George, Rock Britto Dharmaraj, Aswin Arasukumar, Gokul Krishna Ekambaram, Gifty Miracline Jesupaul Thangaraj, Gokul Ravisubramanian, Gayathri devi Perundalaiyur Chandran, Gomathy Manju Prabhakaran
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The authors retain the copyright of their article, with first publication rights granted to Medsci Publications.
