Studies from Huazhong University of Science and Technology Further Understanding of Health Services Research (Examining inequality in utilisation of health management services for the elderly in rural Henan China)

2020 AUG 27 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Investigators discuss new findings in Health and Medicine - Health Services Research. According to news reporting out of Hubei, People’s Republic of China, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “The health management plays an important role in improving the quality of life of the elderly and relieving the pressure of health resource consumption. This study aims to assess the income-related inequality in utilisation of health management services (HMS) for the elderly and the contribution of the related factors to inequality in rural Henan China.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology, “The data from 2015 Henan Rural Residents Health Survey with 1403 elderly people as the final sample were used for analysis. The concentration index (CI) was used to measure inequality in HMS utilisation for the elderly (no HMS, health assessment, physical examination, auxiliary examination, and health guidance). The decomposition of CI was adopted to explain the contribution of various determinants to inequality in HMS utilisation for the elderly. No HMS utilisation was disproportionately concentrated among the poor (CI=-0.0730, p=0.0155), utilisation of physical and auxiliary examination was disproportionately concentrated among the rich (CI=0.0575, p=0.0448; CI=0.0811, p=0.0044). In addition, the pro-poor effects of health assessment and guidance utilisation were not statistically significant (CI=-0.0173, p=0.4617; CI=-0.0213, p=0.3900). The results of CI decomposition revealed that household income and family size made positive contributions to inequality while social medical insurance, gender, marital status, and age made negative contributions to inequality. The improved service satisfaction with village clinics could reduce inequality in HMS utilisation, while the improved service satisfaction with township hospitals could increase inequality in HMS utilisation. Although HMS for the elderly is provided free of charge, its accessibility remains pro-rich due to various factors.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Policy makers should adopt effective interventions to resolve the contradiction between these factors and the utilisation of HMS, and redress inequality in the utilisation of HMS.”

For more information on this research see: Examining inequality in utilisation of health management services for the elderly in rural Henan China. Bmc Health Services Research, 2020;20(1):758. Bmc Health Services Research can be contacted at: Biomed Central LTD, Middlesex House, 34-42 Cleveland St, London W1T 4LB, England. (BioMed Central - http://www.biomedcentral.com/; Bmc Health Services Research - http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmchealthservres/)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Huan Wu, School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China.

Publisher contact information for the journal Bmc Health Services Research is: Biomed Central LTD, Middlesex House, 34-42 Cleveland St, London W1T 4LB, England.

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