Health-care Utilisation among Elderly People with Chronic Medical Conditions in a Secondary Health-care Center, Southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

Background The elderly population of the world is projected to continue to increase. There is an anticipated increase in the utilisation of health-care services due to chronic diseases and other impairments with resulting pressure on health systems. Aims This study aimed to determine the health-care utilisation of elderly patients with chronic medical diseases attending a secondary health facility in southwestern Nigeria. Materials and Methods A structured questionnaire was administered to gather the data from 300 older people by random sampling during follow-up care for those receiving care for more than 6 months following a diagnosis of a chronic disease. SPSS software version 26 was used for the data analysis, and the results are presented in the tables. The Chi-square test was applied to test for associations between the categorical variables, and a logistic regression model was used to rule out confounders, while P < 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. Results The mean age (standard deviation) in the study was 68.26 (7.01) years and 58.3% were females. The average number of routine clinic visits was 4.12, whereas 20.7% had emergency room visits, 6.6% were referred to specialists, and 33.3% had laboratory investigations. After logistic regression was applied, living conditions, average monthly income, and treatment for diabetes were found to be significant factors for the utilisation of care. Conclusion The provision of rich social support, improving economic empowerment, and performing screening and timely management for diabetes will improve preventive care while reducing the use of expensive and specialised care for older people.

Keywords

• chronic diseases
• elderly people
• health insurance
• health-care utilisation
• multimorbidity