Coping with health services disruption. Perceiving need and utilizing available services during a doctors' strike

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Public Health Policy
• Socioeconomic Determinants of Health

Background:

• Healthcare access is crucial, especially during disruptions like prolonged doctors' strikes.
• Understanding health service utilization patterns during such events is vital for public health planning.
• Socioeconomic status is a known factor influencing healthcare access and outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate health service utilization among families during an 118-day doctors' strike.
• To identify factors influencing the decision to seek medical care when needed.
• To determine the impact of socioeconomic status on unmet healthcare needs.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving home interviews with 1,663 individuals from 423 families.
• Data collection focused on perceived need for healthcare and actual service utilization in the month prior to interviews.
• Analysis included assessment of socioeconomic status and reasons for non-utilization.

Main Results:

• 39% of individuals reported a perceived need for healthcare during the study period.
• Of 813 recorded episodes of need, 46% resulted in seeking care for all episodes, 6% for some, and 49% for none.
• Financial constraints were the primary reason cited for not utilizing services.
• Higher socioeconomic status was associated with a lower proportion of unmet healthcare needs.

Conclusions:

• Doctors' strikes significantly disrupt healthcare access, leading to substantial unmet needs.
• Socioeconomic status is a critical determinant of healthcare utilization, with financial barriers disproportionately affecting lower strata.
• Policy interventions addressing financial constraints are essential to mitigate healthcare access disparities during health system disruptions.