BACKGROUND The phenomenon of inequitable healthcare utilization in rural China interests policymakers and researchers; however, the inequity has not been actually measured to present the magnitude and trend using nationally representative data. METHODS Based on the National Health Service Survey (NHSS) in 1993, 1998, 2003, and 2008, the Probit model with the probability of outpatient visit an...

BACKGROUND The current demographic transition will lead to increasing demands on health services. However, debate exists as to the role age plays relative to co-morbidity in terms of health services utilization. While age has been identified as a critical factor in health services utilization, health services utilization is not simply an outcome of ill health, nor is it an inevitable outcome of...

The aim of this chapter is to introduce Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) governance as a paradigm to integrate Healthcare Information Systems (HIS) and e-health services. Healthcare professionals, patients, policymakers, and business partners increasingly require the utilization and enhancement of e-health services at a global scale. However, traditional approaches to integrate services in H...

The steady rise in healthcare costs has deprived over 45 million Americans of healthcare services (1, 2) and has encouraged healthcare providers to look for opportunities to improve their operational efficiency. Prior studies have shown that evidence of healthcare seeking intent in Internet searches correlates well with healthcare resource utilization. Given the ubiquitous nature of mobile Inte...

BACKGROUND Considering the global and national level commitments in improving the maternal health as well as reducing the maternal mortality, assessment of factors influencing the delivery of antenatal healthcare services becomes essential. OBJECTIVES The aim is to assess the utilization of antenatal health services and to identify the factors influencing their utilization among women of fish...

OBJECTIVE Lack of access to healthcare is frequently cited as a primary reason for health disparities globally, especially in poor, rural areas such as Appalachia in the U.S. This study examined predictors of perceived access to healthcare among residents in a poor, medically underserved, rural Appalachian community. METHODS The study was guided by the revised behavioral model of healthcare s...

INTRODUCTION Effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may lead to lower overall and RA-related healthcare utilization. We evaluated healthcare utilization before and after initiation of the tumor necrosis factor inhibitor etanercept in patients with moderate to severe RA. METHODS This retrospective cohort study used data from the MarketScan® claims database. Data from adult patients ...

BACKGROUND Previous studies investigating factors associated with healthcare utilization by older Ghanaians lack distinction between public and private health services. The present study examined factors associated with public and private healthcare service use, and the resulting perceived health system responsiveness. OBJECTIVES To identify factors associated with public and private healthca...