Effective Factors of Utilization of Inpatient, Outpatient, Diagnostic, and Pharmaceutical Health Services: A Systematic Review

Abstract


 Utilization is one of the dimensions of equity in health systems. Identifying the factors affecting utilization of health services can be helpful for interventional purposes. This study systematically reviewed the factors affecting the utilization of inpatient, outpatient, diagnostic, and pharmaceutical services. This systematic review was conducted between 2016 and 2017. The search was performed using keywords based on MeSH in valid databases such as Scopus, Embase, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Web of Science in the fields of title, abstract, and keyword. Related papers published from 2000 to 2017 were searched. First, the retrieved studies were screened and checked for quality; then, the useful data were extracted and analyzed. Out of the 1178 retrieved publications, 20 studies were included in the final analysis. The identified factors were categorized into 5 areas, including demographic (4 items), socioeconomic (13 items), health services–related (13 items), health status–related (7 items), and health insurance–related factors (2 items), and reported. The findings of this study can be a useful source and a comprehensive body of evidence on the utilization of health services. The results can be used by the policy makers and managers in designing interventions for changing the utilization patterns of health services. [GMJ.2019;8:e1236]

Clinical and Economic Outcomes of a Pharmacogenomics-enriched Comprehensive Medication Management Program in a Self-insured Employee Population

“…Moreover, several additional factors that have been associated with HRU such as demographic, socioeconomic, health services-related, health status-related, and health insurance, were not evaluated in the present study. 25 In addition, individuals were invited to the program based on risk strati cation and evidence of using ≥ 1 prescription medication. It may be that implementation in populations with lower medication utilization at baseline yield different results.…”