Access for those who want or for those who can? Equity in the use of doctor’s appointments in Portugal based on the HIS 2019

Abstract

Horizontal equity in the use of healthcare implies equal use for equal needs, regardless of other factors - be they predisposing or enabling (Andersen’s model). This study aimed to assess equity in the use of doctor’s appointments in Portugal in 2019, comparing the results with those obtained in a previous study, based on data from 2014. Data were retrieved from the Health Interview Survey 2019 (HIS 2019). Healthcare is measured by the number of doctor’s appointments. Our study adopted the Negative Binomial Model to assess the factors affecting use. The concentration index was calculated to quantify income-related inequality/inequity. Compared to 2014, the effects of self-assessed health, limitations in daily living activities, and longstanding illnesses are more pronounced, and the region, income, household type and marital status are significant for appointments scheduled with a General Practitioner. In the case of appointments with specialists, health insurance lost statistical significance and the effect of education dropped; however, income became significant. The inequity index is not significant for appointments scheduled with a General Practitioner, as in 2014, but the (significant) value of this index increased for appointments with other specialists.