Health Care Utilization Analysis
Introduction
The need for health care utilization arises from the divergence of actual health status from what individual consider as normal state of health. Even though the structural reasons for these discrepancies are routed in to the socio economic condition of the individual, through the provisioning of medical and related services these can greatly reduced. As health care is a unique good unlike any other goods and services in the market its utilization varies from one individual to another in various aspects based on the household & individual characteristics, illness characteristics and provisional characteristics.
Kasl and Cobb define health behavior as any activity undertaken by individuals who see themselves as healthy for the purpose of preventing disease or dictating it in an asymptotic stage (Cited in Sankar, 2001). For the present study health care utilization is distinguished from health seeking behavior as any action undertaken by individuals who perceive to have a health problem or illness, for the purpose of dealing with this health …show more content…
The individual illnesses were not predictable however it is possible to predict rates of illness for a population based on previous experience. The beginning of health care utilization is the point when an individual perceive that he is ill that is deviation of health condition from what they consider as normal state of health. As it is the perception of individual it is influenced by social, cultural and economical conditions of the individual. After this perceived illness the next step is utilization of health care based on various factors like severity of illness and access to health care. The next step of seeking health care is choosing the system of medicine, which is largely based on the perception on quality, efficiency, belief, availability
The need for health care utilization arises from the divergence of actual health status from what individual consider as normal state of health. Even though the structural reasons for these discrepancies are routed in to the socio economic condition of the individual, through the provisioning of medical and related services these can greatly reduced. As health care is a unique good unlike any other goods and services in the market its utilization varies from one individual to another in various aspects based on the household & individual characteristics, illness characteristics and provisional characteristics.
Kasl and Cobb define health behavior as any activity undertaken by individuals who see themselves as healthy for the purpose of preventing disease or dictating it in an asymptotic stage (Cited in Sankar, 2001). For the present study health care utilization is distinguished from health seeking behavior as any action undertaken by individuals who perceive to have a health problem or illness, for the purpose of dealing with this health …show more content…
The individual illnesses were not predictable however it is possible to predict rates of illness for a population based on previous experience. The beginning of health care utilization is the point when an individual perceive that he is ill that is deviation of health condition from what they consider as normal state of health. As it is the perception of individual it is influenced by social, cultural and economical conditions of the individual. After this perceived illness the next step is utilization of health care based on various factors like severity of illness and access to health care. The next step of seeking health care is choosing the system of medicine, which is largely based on the perception on quality, efficiency, belief, availability