Predictors Of Health Service Use Research Articles

A multivariate analysis of the determinants of physician utilization

This study examines the determinants of health services utilization among 2168 households in five New York and Pennsylvania counties. The purpose is to identify sub-population groups with relatively homogeneous patterns of health service use behavior and to determine for each the relative importance of various predictors, categorized into three broad dimensions—the need for care, predisposing factors and enabling factors. A two stage approach using multivariate analysis technique is employed. Overall, the proportion of expenses paid by health insurance, Medicare, social class and the physician-population ratio in the country where health services are recieved are found to be important predictors of health services use. The significance of these and other predictors varies, however, from one subgroup to the next. The analytical strategy employed proves to be helpful both in understanding the differential patterns of health services utilization in subpopulations and in indentifying impediments to health care. Moreover, the predictive models of physician utilization are formulated.