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http://dx.doi.org/10.22645/udi.2019.6.30.051

The determinants of Emergency Care Utilization and Equity of Access to Care in Elderly Koreans  

Lee, Sukmin (Department of Physical Therapy, Sahmyook University)
Park, Ju Moon (Department of Urban Policy and Administration, Incheon National University)
Publication Information
Journal of Urban Science / v.8, no.1, 2019 , pp. 51-58 More about this Journal
Abstract
This study examines the determinants of emergency care utilization and equity of access to care in elderly Koreans. Based on the data from the 2014 Korea Health Panel Survey, descriptive and logistic regression analysis was performed. The sample for this study was 1,313 individuals who participated in interviews. Predisposing factors such as age, sex, and education were significant determinants of emergency care utilization. Differences in need do not fully account for the original differences observed between subgroups of older Koreans. Health status was important determinant of older Koreans using emergency care services. Spending medical expense did not ameliorate the subgroup differences in the use of emergency care services. Nonetheless, spending medical expense remains a particularly important predictor of emergency care utilization. Health care reforms in Korea should continue to concentrate on insuring effective universal emergency care, implying that all older Koreans with need receive effective coverage. Future study is also needed to understand the access barriers that may exist for the selected demographic subgroups, i.e., those over 75, women, less educated persons, and those with higher medical expense.
Keywords
Emergency care services; Health care system; Equity in utilization; older Koreans;
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