Determinants of accessing healthcare services for outpatient care: A study on older adults in India

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study aims to investigate the determinants of outpatient healthcare selection. The present research utilised data from the first wave of the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India, 2017–18). A total of 34,588 older individuals (45 years and above) who accessed outpatient healthcare services in the last 12 months during the survey were included in this study. A bivariate chi-square test was used to present the percentage distribution of types of outpatient healthcare utilisation by background characteristics and healthcare responsiveness. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the relationship between outpatient healthcare utilisation and other predisposing, enabling, and need factors. About 57.3% of older adults used a private service, 30.2% used a public service, and 12.4% used other services. Years of schooling, wealth, place of residence, self-rated health, and health insurance were all important factors in determining whether older adults sought outpatient treatment from a public or private service. Public health facilities reveived inadequate healthcare response. The current study suggested that education, wealth, place of residence, and health insurance were significant determinants of private and public outpatient healthcare utilisation. Therefore, the current study emphasises the need to strengthen public healthcare services to ensure universal access to health care.