Regular sources of care and children’s health care utilization
兒童固定就醫場所與醫療利用
Journal
Taiwan Journal of Public Health
Journal Volume
37
Journal Issue
3
Pages
244-253
Date Issued
2018
Author(s)
Yi-Fan Li
Abstract
Objcctivcs: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between children's regular sources of care (RSOC) and health care utilization including ambulatory carc (AC), emergency services (ES), and hospitalization (HOSP) care in Taiwan. Methods: Data came from the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study. A total of 18,845 children were included. Their parents completed four waves of interview surveys between 6 and 66 months of age, with a response rate of 88.7%. The independent variable was children's RSOC including RSOC in clinics, RSOC in hospitals, and no RSC when the children were 6 to 36-months old, and the dependent variable was medical utilization when the children were 66-months old. Results: A total of 63.5% of the children had a RSOC including 44.7% in clinics and 18.8% in hospitals. Children were less likely to have a RSOC with parents of lower education, foreign-born mothers, arid a household monthly income less than 30,000 NTD dollars. After controlling for children's gender, maternal nationality, socioeconomic characteristics, and health status, children with RSOC in hospital was significantly associated with higher likelihood of ES and HOSP (ES, OR=1.6; HOSP, OR∗ 1.8) as were those who did not have a RSC (ES, OR=1.2; HOSP. OR=!.4), compared with those who did not have a RSOC. Conclusions: Children with RSOC in clinics was significantly associated with lower likelihood of ES and HOSP. This suggests that the government implemented financial incentive and transparency of quality in clinics policies for encouraging parents to use clinics as the RSOC.
Publisher
Chinese Public Health Association of Taiwan
Type
journal article