Factors associated with health care seeking behaviour: A cross-sectional study at an emergency department in a teaching hospital

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Emergent conditions are time-sensitive and delays in receiving emergency care can cause mortality and morbidity. Different healthcare-seeking behaviours (HSB) are influenced by several factors which impact choices in seeking healthcare. This study aimed to determine the factors associated with HSB among patients admitted to the Emergency Department of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH).
METHODOLOGY
This was a cross-sectional study among patients admitted at the Accident and Emergency Centre of KBTH from May to June 2020 using the quantitative approach in data collection. Simple random sampling was used to select 400 participants who met the inclusion criteria after which the questionnaires were administered. Participants were assessed on their HSB based on Andersen's Behavioural Model of Health. Pearson's chi-square test was used to assess the association between categorical independent variables and the HSB of patients while Welch’s t-test was used to compare means of triage vital signs at admission between patients who sought formal and informal care. All factors significant from Pearson's chi-square test were introduced into the binary logistic regression model. P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant in this study.
RESULTS
Of the 400 respondents interviewed, the mean age was 51 years with 56.5% being women. The majority of respondents (61.50%) sought formal health care as their initial action when sick whiles the remaining sought informal care. The adjusted odds for seeking formal health care were higher among patients who self-rated their illness as severe, those who travelled more than 30 minutes to the nearest health facility and those who were classified as red according to South African Triage Scale (SATS).
CONCLUSION
Self-rating of the severity of illness, distance to health facility and patient classification as red by SATS were significant factors associated with healthcare-seeking behaviour. Knowledge about the factors associated with healthcare-seeking behaviour is vital for health education and health promotion campaigns towards appropriate health care seeking behaviour.