The association between self-perceived health status and satisfaction with healthcare services: Evidence from Armenia

BACKGROUND Armenians very rarely seek healthcare services and, consequently experience more serious health conditions. With its ongoing reforms, Armenia is focusing on linking health system financing to the quality and volume of care provided. We examine the relationship between the perceived health status of the population and the satisfaction with healthcare services. METHODS A pooled probit model is applied to analyse three datasets (2010, 2011 and 2012) from the Integrated Living Conditions Survey (ILCS). RESULTS We find a strong association between self-perceived health and satisfaction with healthcare services but this association is not consistent across regions. CONCLUSIONS The socioeconomic position of the household alone does not explain the perception of individual health status. The perceived dwelling condition and geography of residence emerged as important stressors on associations between the perceived health status of the population and the satisfaction with healthcare services. We have modelled the perceived health status and satisfaction with the healthcare services using demand side datasets. This study establishes the need to re-examine this association in a multidimensional construct.