[Health services utilization by the adult population in São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil: a cross-sectional study].

Autor: Dias-da-Costa JS; Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, São Leopoldo, Brasil. episoares@terra.com.br, Olinto MT, Soares SA, Nunes MF, Bagatini T, Marques Md, Guimarães LK, Müller LP, Machado FC, Barcellos Edos S, Pattussi MP
Jazyk: portugalština
Zdroj: Cadernos de saude publica [Cad Saude Publica] 2011 May; Vol. 27 (5), pp. 868-76.
DOI: 10.1590/s0102-311x2011000500005
Abstrakt: The aim was to describe healthcare utilization by adults in a Brazilian city. The outcomes were medical appointments in the previous month and use of public (Unified National Health System - SUS) versus private healthcare services. A population-based cross-sectional study with 1,098 adults aged 20 years or over was carried out. No medical appointment in the previous month was reported by 623 persons (56.7%, 95%CI: 53.8-59.7). Of the 487 individuals who had consulted a physician, 51.2% used the public healthcare system, 26.9% private care, and 22% other services. Consultation was associated with female gender and older age. Individuals in the intermediate categories for income, schooling, and socioeconomic status consulted less than the corresponding high and low categories. The results suggest that the middle class in this city lacks the purchasing power to seek care in the private sector while also using public services less, thus generally seeking healthcare less frequently.
Databáze: MEDLINE