Health Policy Manag.  2020 Dec;30(4):479-492. 10.4332/KJHPA.2020.30.4.479.

Factors Associated with the Use of Medical Care at Hospitals among Outpatients with Hypertension: A Study of the Korea Health Panel Study Dataset (2010–2016)

• Lee S
• Park S
• Kimm H
• Lee Y
• Chung W

• KMID: 2510240
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4332/KJHPA.2020.30.4.479

Abstract

Background
As the prevalence of hypertension is increasing in Korea, the government is seeking policy actions to manage patients with hypertension more efficiently. In this paper, we aimed to identify factors associated with the use of medical care at hospitals among outpatients with hypertension.
Methods
We analyzed a total of 15,040 cases of 3,877 outpatients with hypertension obtained from the Korea Medical Panel database from 2010 to 2016. The dependent variable was whether a patient with hypertension visited a hospital or not; and independent variables were the patient’s various socio-demographic, health-related, and heath-status characteristics. We conducted a generalized linear mixed model analysis with logit link for all the cases and then conducted it stratified by gender.
Results
As a result of a multivariable analysis, women were less likely than to visit at a hospital (odds ratio [OR], 0.44; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.32–0.61) and people aged 65 years and older than those aged less than 65 years (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.57– 0.89). Residents in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam were more likely than those in than Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon, and Jeju to visit a hospital (OR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.05–1.86). The likelihood of visiting a hospital was high in people belonging to a group of: the highest level of annual household income (OR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.30–2.29); Medical care aid recipients (OR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.34–2.83); people having three or more complex chronic diseases (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.19–2.11); people having diabetes (OR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.41–2.32); or people having ischemic heart disease or cerebrovascular disease (OR, 6.80; 95% CI, 5.28–8.76). Also, we found that factors associated with the use of medical care at hospitals among outpatients with hypertension differed between genders.
Conclusion
A variety of factors seem to be associated with the use of medical care at hospitals among outpatients with hypertension. Future research needs to find a way to help patients with hypertension visit an appropriate medical institution between clinics and hospitals.

Keyword

Hypertension; Outpatients; Hospitals; Hospitals