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Age and gender differences in health services utilization

J F Murphy1, J T Hepworth

  • 1College of Nursing, Arizona State University, Tempe 85287-2602, USA.

Research in Nursing & Health
|August 1, 1996
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Elderly individuals utilize more acute care services, such as hospitalizations and emergency visits, as they age. However, primary care provider visits decrease with advancing age, with gender not significantly impacting these health service utilization patterns.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Health Services Research
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Understanding health service utilization among the elderly is crucial for resource allocation and care planning.
  • Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) manage a wide range of services, influencing how older adults access care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the patterns of health service utilization in elderly male and female enrollees of a large urban Health Maintenance Organization (HMO).
  • To identify relationships between age, gender, and the use of various healthcare services.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study design.
  • Random sampling of 759 elderly HMO enrollees (aged 66-99).
  • Analysis of utilization patterns for urgent care, pharmaceuticals, primary care, specialist care, home-health, emergency services, and hospitalizations.

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Main Results:

  • Acute care service utilization (hospitalizations, emergency visits, home-health) increases with age.
  • Primary care provider visits and specialist visits show complex (linear and curvilinear) relationships with age.
  • No significant relationship was found between age or gender and urgent care visits, prescribed pharmaceuticals, or out-of-pocket pharmaceutical costs.
  • Gender did not significantly modify the age-related utilization patterns.

Conclusions:

  • Healthcare utilization among the elderly is age-dependent, with a shift towards acute care and away from primary care as individuals age.
  • HMOs provide a spectrum of services, but patterns of use vary significantly with age.
  • Findings highlight the need for age-tailored healthcare strategies within managed care settings.