A sequential model for the structure of health care utilization

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Healthcare Management
• Qualitative Research Methods

Background:

• Existing health care utilization models fail to capture the intricate structure of patient journeys.
• There is a need for a more sophisticated framework to analyze how patients navigate healthcare services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present a novel sequential model for representing the complex structure of health care utilization.
• To provide a framework that accounts for the interconnectedness and flow of healthcare encounters.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study employing episodic interviews and participant observation in Norway and Germany.
• Concurrent context analysis and thematic coding within a grounded theory framework.
• Development of a sequential model representing health care utilization as connected nodes (patient-provider contacts) and edges (information flow).

Main Results:

• Health care utilization is characterized by sequences of consultations, not isolated events.
• Identified structural differences in information flow and provider involvement between Norway and Germany.
• The developed sequential model incorporates time and healthcare provider levels as key dimensions.

Conclusions:

• The sequential model offers a more accurate representation of health care utilization compared to traditional methods.
• This model can be quantitatively applied to analyze health care utilization patterns using routine data.
• Understanding consultation sequences and information flow is crucial for optimizing healthcare delivery.