Geospatial Analysis of Parental Healthcare-Seeking Behavior in the Vicinity of Multispecialty Hospital in India

Author:

Pal Anjali1,Panigrahi Sunil Kumar2,Parija Pragyan Paramita3,Majumdar Sagarika4

Affiliation:

1. Department of Community & Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Raipur, India

2. Department of Community & Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Deoghar, Jharkhand, India

3. Department of Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Vijaypur, India

4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Deoghar, India,

Abstract

Background and Objective The healthcare-seeking behavior of vulnerable groups, such as children under five, depends on a multitude of factors, including the caregiver’s decision making. Approximately 60% of Indians seek care from private hospitals. Recent health policy in India has favored the establishment of multispecialty hospitals. However, it remains unclear to what extent this policy has changed the number of Indians seeking healthcare from these government-established multispecialty hospitals. The study aims to assess the health-seeking behavior of parents of children under five in the vicinity of a public multispecialty tertiary care hospital. Methods This was a community-based cross-sectional survey with geospatial mapping conducted among the parents of children under five using a semi-structured questionnaire in Epi-collect mobile app. The study site was an urban slum in a catchment area [within five kilometers (km)] of a multispecialty tertiary care public hospital in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh. The study was conducted for one year duration from February 2019 to January 2020. A questionnaire was administered to the parents of the children under five (N = 353) after their household confirmation from the nearby Anganwadi center, the community level service providing center under the Integrated Child Development Scheme by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD). The questionnaire included sections for demographic characteristics, the illness pattern among their children, health-seeking decision-making, and more. Descriptive analysis was presented with numbers and percentages. Univariate analysis was used to assess the association between sociodemographic variables and health-seeking characteristics. Statistical significance was considered at p value less than 0.05. We used geospatial mapping using coordinates collected and compiled using the Microsoft Excel version 2021 and analyzed using QGIS (Quantum Geographic Information System) software. Results Among the parents interviewed patients (N = 353), maternal literacy rates were over 85%. Approximately 54% of the families were below poverty line. Among 95.2% of the families, mothers were part of decision-making regarding their children’s health-seeking. Over 92% of the families opted for consultation in a nearby private hospital or dispensary. Geospatial mapping of private hospitals was a favored place for healthcare-seeking by mothers, irrespective of their socioeconomic status or education rather than multispecialty hospital. Conclusion and Global Health Implications The majority of the parents in the vicinity of public multispecialty hospitals seek care from private clinics for ailments for children under five. The establishment of public multispecialty tertiary care hospitals, which are mandated for tertiary level of care and research, cannot replace primary-level healthcare institutions, showed that private hospitals were the favored places healthcare seeking by mothers. These primary-level institutions are critical for the management of common ailments for children under five near home and reducing the financial burden on the family, even in the vicinity of a multispecialty hospital.

Publisher

Scientific Scholar

Reference13 articles.

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3