The influence of social surroundings on consultation of private care, emergency department, hospital out-patient departments, and primary health care 1384 Consultations made by a defined population in a residential area

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The influence of social surroundings on the clients' consultation of four different caregivers (primary health care centre, emergency department, hospital out-patient departments, and private care) was studied prospectively. The study had the advantage of being population-based, focusing on different social surroundings in the same residential area, and taking into consideration four different caregivers. This was a new approach to the study of health care utilization. We chose a single residential area, whose borders coincided with the catchment area of the local primary health care centre. This population (n=5085) made 1384 consultations to the above-mentioned four caregivers during seven weeks In the autumn of 1988. The residential area was composed of sub-areas with different social surroundings with respect to the form of tenure. People living In socially disadvantaged multioccupancy blocks consulted the emergency department more often than expected (age- and sex-standardized Relative Risk (RR)= 1.50, 95% confidence interval (Cl) = 1.02–2.21). The population in the socioeconomically most disadvantaged multioccupancy block made few consultations to private care (RR=0.53, 95% Cl=0.30–0.91) but more to primary health care (RR=4.45, 95% Cl=3.11–6.36). The conclusion was that the population living in socially disadvantaged surroundings in multioccupancy blocks had an increased risk of consulting the emergency department and primary health care. They had less risk of consulting hospital out-patient departments and private care. This result is of importance as it might provide health planners with information about the influence of social surroundings on care utilization. The family physician and the district nurse might play a central role in the meeting of the increasing demands of care utilization in socially disadvantaged residential areas.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: