Health Service Utilization in Hong Kong During the COVID-19 Pandemic – A Cross-sectional Public Survey
BackgroundAs health systems across the world respond to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there is rising concern that patients without COVID-19 are not receiving timely emergency care, resulting in avoidable deaths. This study examined patterns of self-reported health service utilization, th...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Kerman University of Medical Sciences
2022-04-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Health Policy and Management |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.ijhpm.com/article_3929_3b545bca339a5a52e8be30b8ab6ef842.pdf |
| _version_ | 1811158782906990592 |
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| author | Kevin KC Hung Joseph H. Walline Emily Ying Yang Chan Zhe Huang Eugene Siu Kai Lo Eng Kiong Yeoh Colin A. Graham |
| author_facet | Kevin KC Hung Joseph H. Walline Emily Ying Yang Chan Zhe Huang Eugene Siu Kai Lo Eng Kiong Yeoh Colin A. Graham |
| author_sort | Kevin KC Hung |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundAs health systems across the world respond to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there is rising concern that patients without COVID-19 are not receiving timely emergency care, resulting in avoidable deaths. This study examined patterns of self-reported health service utilization, their socio-demographic determinants and association with avoidable deaths during the COVID-19 outbreak. MethodsA cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted between March 22 and April 1, 2020, during the peak rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong. Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong residents over 18-years-old were recruited using a computerised random digital dialling (RDD) system. The RDD method used stratified random sampling to ensure a representative sample of the target population by age, gender, and residential district. A structured self-reported questionnaire was used. ResultsOut of 1738 placed calls, 765 subjects responded to the questionnaire (44.0% response rate). The factors associated with avoiding medical consultation included being female (37.2% vs. 22.5%, P < .001), married (32.8% vs. 27%, P = .044), completing tertiary education (35.3% vs. 27.7% (secondary) vs. 14.8% (primary), P = .005), and those who reported a “large/very large” impact of COVID-19 on their mental health (36.1% vs 30.5% (neutral) vs. 19.7% (very small/small), P = .047) using logistic regression analysis. ConclusionMarried females with both higher educational attainment and concern about COVID-19 were associated with avoiding healthcare services. Timely public communication to encourage and promote early health seeking treatment even during extreme events such as pandemics are needed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T05:28:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-50746266d2e74669a980aac8fa71d757 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2322-5939 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T05:28:56Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Kerman University of Medical Sciences |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Health Policy and Management |
| spelling | doaj.art-50746266d2e74669a980aac8fa71d7572023-03-07T09:10:18ZengKerman University of Medical SciencesInternational Journal of Health Policy and Management2322-59392022-04-0111450851310.34172/ijhpm.2020.1833929Health Service Utilization in Hong Kong During the COVID-19 Pandemic – A Cross-sectional Public SurveyKevin KC Hung0Joseph H. Walline1Emily Ying Yang Chan2Zhe Huang3Eugene Siu Kai Lo4Eng Kiong Yeoh5Colin A. Graham6Accident & Emergency Medicine Academic Unit, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong, ChinaAccident & Emergency Medicine Academic Unit, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong, ChinaAccident & Emergency Medicine Academic Unit, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong, ChinaCollaborating Centre for Oxford University and CUHK for Disaster and Medical Humanitarian Response (CCOUC), The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, ChinaCollaborating Centre for Oxford University and CUHK for Disaster and Medical Humanitarian Response (CCOUC), The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, ChinaJC School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, ChinaAccident & Emergency Medicine Academic Unit, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong, ChinaBackgroundAs health systems across the world respond to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there is rising concern that patients without COVID-19 are not receiving timely emergency care, resulting in avoidable deaths. This study examined patterns of self-reported health service utilization, their socio-demographic determinants and association with avoidable deaths during the COVID-19 outbreak. MethodsA cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted between March 22 and April 1, 2020, during the peak rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong. Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong residents over 18-years-old were recruited using a computerised random digital dialling (RDD) system. The RDD method used stratified random sampling to ensure a representative sample of the target population by age, gender, and residential district. A structured self-reported questionnaire was used. ResultsOut of 1738 placed calls, 765 subjects responded to the questionnaire (44.0% response rate). The factors associated with avoiding medical consultation included being female (37.2% vs. 22.5%, P < .001), married (32.8% vs. 27%, P = .044), completing tertiary education (35.3% vs. 27.7% (secondary) vs. 14.8% (primary), P = .005), and those who reported a “large/very large” impact of COVID-19 on their mental health (36.1% vs 30.5% (neutral) vs. 19.7% (very small/small), P = .047) using logistic regression analysis. ConclusionMarried females with both higher educational attainment and concern about COVID-19 were associated with avoiding healthcare services. Timely public communication to encourage and promote early health seeking treatment even during extreme events such as pandemics are needed.https://www.ijhpm.com/article_3929_3b545bca339a5a52e8be30b8ab6ef842.pdfaccess to healthcarehealth seeking behaviorfear of infection |
| spellingShingle | Kevin KC Hung Joseph H. Walline Emily Ying Yang Chan Zhe Huang Eugene Siu Kai Lo Eng Kiong Yeoh Colin A. Graham Health Service Utilization in Hong Kong During the COVID-19 Pandemic – A Cross-sectional Public Survey International Journal of Health Policy and Management access to healthcare health seeking behavior fear of infection |
| title | Health Service Utilization in Hong Kong During the COVID-19 Pandemic – A Cross-sectional Public Survey |
| title_full | Health Service Utilization in Hong Kong During the COVID-19 Pandemic – A Cross-sectional Public Survey |
| title_fullStr | Health Service Utilization in Hong Kong During the COVID-19 Pandemic – A Cross-sectional Public Survey |
| title_full_unstemmed | Health Service Utilization in Hong Kong During the COVID-19 Pandemic – A Cross-sectional Public Survey |
| title_short | Health Service Utilization in Hong Kong During the COVID-19 Pandemic – A Cross-sectional Public Survey |
| title_sort | health service utilization in hong kong during the covid 19 pandemic a cross sectional public survey |
| topic | access to healthcare health seeking behavior fear of infection |
| url | https://www.ijhpm.com/article_3929_3b545bca339a5a52e8be30b8ab6ef842.pdf |
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