Factors associated with the use of outpatient services among the elderly in Indonesia

Ema Madyaningrum,Ying-Chih Chuang,Kun-Yang Chuang

doi:10.1186/s12913-018-3512-0

Ema Madyaningrum, Ying-Chih Chuang + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-018-3512-0

Copy DOI

Abstract

BackgroundElderly people tend to have greater healthcare utilization because of their health status. However, with the 4th largest population in the world, little is known concerning the use of services among the Indonesian elderly. Hence, this study aimed to identify factors related to the use of outpatient services among the Indonesian elderly.MethodsThis is cross sectional study using data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey 5 (IFLS 5), conducted in 2014 and 2015. Only those who were 60 years or older were included in the analyses. We used a logistic regression analysis to determine factors associated with use of outpatient services.ResultsAmong 2912 participants, only 22.7% of respondents had visited health workers or doctors within the previous 4 weeks before the survey. After controlling for other variables, factors associated with the use of outpatient services were socioeconomic status, insurance status, regions of residence, self-rated health, and the number of chronic conditions.ConclusionInequality in outpatient services was observed among the elderly in Indonesia. More effort is need to expand insurance coverage for the elderly, particularly for those in the lower economic status, and to improve access to outpatient services in rural regions by allocating the needed resources.

Highlights

People tend to have greater healthcare utilization because of their health status
In addition to need factors, such as self-rated health and chronic conditions, the other main factors associated with the use of outpatient services among Indonesian elderly were socioeconomic status, having insurance, and regions
Despite of the recently implemented national health insurance, more than half of the elderly remain without insurance coverage, and limited access to outpatient services

Summary

Introduction

People tend to have greater healthcare utilization because of their health status. With the 4th largest population in the world, little is known concerning the use of services among the Indonesian elderly. This study aimed to identify factors related to the use of outpatient services among the Indonesian elderly. The number of elderly increased by about 4.12 million from 2000 to 2015, as the life expectancy in Indonesia increased from 67.25 to 70.8 years in the same period [2]. Previous research indicated that the elderly tend to have a lower self-rated health status [4], more instances of comorbidities [5, 6], and polypharmacy [7], and these factors are associated with an increased use of outpatient services [8, 9]. While one’s health status is an important determinant of outpatient visits, sociodemographic and cultural factors, financing, and the availability of regional resources may influence utilization of outpatient visits

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion