Health services utilization patterns of two urban communities in Abha, Saudi Arabia

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A 20% random sample of 146 families including 942 individuals was selected from two urban communities in Abha City in Saudi Arabia in order to assess the pattern of health services utilization. The information was obtained from the heads of families through interviews using a structured questionnaire. Health “wants” of the people to improve health services were also determined. Of all the health problems encountered in the sample, 84% received health services from the Primary Health Care Center (PHCC) and from the hospital out-patient department. Seventy percent of the deliveries were conducted at the hospital, and the average hospital stay for a delivery was 2.9 days. The overall annual hospitalization rate for the population under study was 89 per 1,000 population, with an average hospitalization period of 7.5 days per case. Deliveries constituted the leading cause for hospitalization. Only 52% of the deliveries received postnatal care, mostly in the hospital, whereas 88 per cent of the pregnancies received antenatal care, mainly in the PHCC. The outreach services of the PHCC were very deficient and lacked the basic elements of preventive services. The role of the hospital and PHCC should be adjusted to meet the health needs of the people, and the people's health “wants” which reflect their sociocultural background should be given attention in health planning.