Healthcare seeking behaviour among Chinese elderly
International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance
ISSN: 0952-6862
Article publication date: 18 April 2017
Abstract
Purpose
The Chinese population is rapidly ageing before they are rich. The purpose of this paper is to describe healthcare seeking behaviour and the critical factors associated with healthcare seeking behaviour.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a purposive sampling method, the authors recruited 44 adults aged 60 years or older from three provinces, representing the developed (Shanghai), undeveloped (Ningxia) regions and the regions in between (Hubei). From July to September 2008, using a semi-structured guide, the authors interviewed participants in focus group discussions.
Findings
The healthcare needs for chronic and catastrophic diseases were high; however, the healthcare demands were low and healthcare utilizations were even lower owing to the limited accessibility to healthcare services, particularly, in underdeveloped rural areas. “Too expensive to see a doctor” was a prime complaint, explaining substantial discrepancies between healthcare needs, demands and use. Care seeking behaviour varied depending on insurance availability, perceived performance, particularly hospital services, and prescription medications. Participants consistently rated increasing healthcare accessibility as a high priority, including offering financial aid, and improving service convenience. Improving social security fairness was the first on the elderly’s wish list.
Originality/value
Healthcare demand and use were lower than needs, and were influenced by multiple factors, primarily, service affordability and efficiency, perceived performance and hospital service quality.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: The project was supported by the Fourth Round of Shanghai Three-year Action Plan on Public Health Discipline and Talent Program, Evidence-based Public Health and Health Economics Grant No. 15GWZK0901, and National Natural Science Foundation of China Grant No. 71503138.
The authors would like to thank all those who participated in the study, i.e. interviewees and local health officials in the three provinces and six districts/counties: Shanghai (Zhabei district and Songjiang district), Hubei province (Yingling district and Xiling district) and the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (Yinchuan city and Zhongning county) for their efforts and responses. The authors gratefully acknowledge Rae Tang, a graduate student at Cambridge University, UK and Yijie Zhang, a student in Georgia Technology Institute, Georgia, USA for their editorial assistance.
Citation
Lu, H., Wang, W., Xu, L., Li, Z., Ding, Y., Zhang, J. and Yan, F. (2017), "Healthcare seeking behaviour among Chinese elderly", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 30 No. 3, pp. 248-259. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-10-2015-0132
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited