Introduction: Patients often seek healthcare at general hospitals rather than at community healthcare centres (CHCs) which leads to inefficiency of health services. The primary healthcare reform developed by Xiamen has proven to break through the barriers of hierarchical diagnosis and treatment. The influencing factors of health-seeking behaviours of patients in the Xiamen reform, however, are unclear.Objective: This study aimed to assess patients' healthcare-seeking preferences and CHCs utilization, and identify influencing factors among patients affected by the Xiamen reform. Methods: A cross-sectional study composed of 2200 individuals with hypertension or diabetes was conducted in association with Xiamen's reform. The choice of health institutions was used to measure health-seeking preference. The probability and frequency of outpatient service use were used to measure CHC utilization. The social ecological model and two-part model were employed to examine influencing factors. Results: As high as 72.5% of the subjects, including those who were under 60 years old, had low education level, with long disease duration, good self-report health and low household income expressed a preference for CHC (P<0.05). Also, participants who had good-condition CHCs (χ 2 =6.736, P=0.010), joined in three-in-one chronic disease management (χ 2 =81.615, P<0.01) and were insured by medical insurance (χ 2 =21.142, P<0.01) significantly preferred to visit CHCs for treatment. In addition, patients who had a preference for CHC utilized many more CHCs (P<0.01). Analysis of influencing factors found that education, selfreported health, smoking, household income, condition of the CHC, whether the patient had joined the healthcare reform and whether the patient had medical insurance were important factors affecting health-seeking preference and CHC utilization (P<0.05). Conclusion:The Xiamen healthcare reform made some achievements in improving CHC utilization. However, certain challenges remain. The government should further strengthen CHCs, deepen and expand healthcare reform, and make efforts to guide reasonable healthcare-seeking behaviour and improve the efficiency of primary health systems.

ObjectivesTo investigate the status and factors of healthcare service utilisation among the poor elderly in China.MethodsWe selected the poor elderly from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) from 2011 to 2015. The main outcome measures include utilisation indicators for the probability and costs of outpatient/inpatient services. Based on modified Andersen behaviour model, a two-part model is designed to analyse the factors of the health service utilisation of the poor elderly.ResultsThe visit rate of outpatient services increased from 15.05% in 2011 to 21.26% in 2015, and the hospitalisation rate increased from 7.26% to 14.32%. The median cost of outpatient and inpatient services in 2015 for the poor elderly were 350 RMB and 10 000 RMB, respectively, and the out-of-pocket ratios were 85.2% and 53.3%, respectively. 78.44% of the people who actually needed healthcare did not use health services, and the main reason was financial difficulties (42.32%). The poor elderly who are higher educated, have children, live in central regions and have social security and a poor health status and who do not smoke or drink are more likely to use health services. The need factor plays a crucial role in determining health service utilisation.ConclusionsThe poor elderly tends to have a worse health status and a heavier medical burden but had a lower utilisation of health services. Predisposing, enabling, need and health behaviour variables should be considered to improve the health service utilisation and the health of the poor elderly.

Background Despite historic achievements in fighting poverty over recent decades, the unmet health needs of the poor elderly are still a severe problem in China. This paper investigates the demand and utilization status of health services among the poor elderly and examines the factors that affect healthcare service utilization. Methods According to the international poverty line of each year, we selected the poor elderly from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) from 2011 to 2015 to create nationally representative estimates. The main outcome measures include utilization indicators for the probability and costs of outpatient/inpatient services. Based on a modified Andersen behaviour model, a two-part model is designed to investigate and analyse how predisposing factors, enabling factors, and need and health behaviour variables affect the health service utilization of the poor elderly. The prediction of marginal effect of the unconditional healthcare expenditure are estimated by jointing the model of probability and expenditure of health service utilization. Results The morbidity and chronic disease rates of the poor elderly were 16.93% and 79.43%, respectively. The visit rate of outpatient services increased from 15.05% in 2011 to 21.26% in 2015, and the hospitalization rate increased from9.87–16.89%. In terms of medical expenditures, the median cost of outpatient and inpatient services in 2015 for the poor elderly were 350 RMB and 10,000 RMB, respectively, and the out-of-pocket ratios were 85.2% and 53.3% respectively. Overall, 78.44% of the people who actually needed healthcare did not use health services, and the main reason was financial difficulties (42.32%). The two-part model showed that the poor elderly who are higher educated, have children, live in central regions, and have social security and a poor health status and who do not smoke or drink are more likely to use health services. Males who live in the eastern regions with poor self-reported health, physical disabilities and chronic diseases have more medical expenses. Margin effect analysis finds that the need factor is more important than other factors in determining health service utilization. Conclusion The poor elderly in China, as the most vulnerable group, tends to have a worse health status and a heavier medical burden. Due to a variety of constraints, the poor elderly had a lower utilization of health services. Predisposing, enabling, need and health behaviour variables should be considered when making policy and taking measures to eliminate health inequalities to improve the health service utilization and the health of the poor elderly.