Self-reported patterns of health services utilisation: An urban-rural comparison in South Australia

摘要: Objective: To compare self-reported patterns of health service utilisation among residents urban and rural South Australia. Design, setting main outcome measures: Secondary analysis data generated by computer-assisted telephone interviews 7377 adults done in 1995–6. Respondents were asked if they had used each 18 different services during the previous 12 months. Residence was classified three ways: (1) capital city versus rest state, (2) Rural, Remote Metropolitan Areas classification (RRMA) (3) Accessibility Remoteness Index for Australia (ARIA). Results: General practitioner most frequently used, approximately 89% respondents. Only 4% reported not using any service. Comparing with modest but statistically significant differences (P < 0.01) measured nine services. In eight these nine, higher residents. Analysing RRMA, reportedly differently seven same as those identified from state comparison. Across five ARIA categories, six previously being differentially. Overall, a than expected rate moderate high level use. Conclusions: Self-reported use range broadly similar across Australia, cases areas rather areas. Similar results obtained when residence ways. What is already known on this subject: It widely that status access to Australians worse their counterparts. However, while clearly case some conditions groups, further needed understand rural–urban differentials better. Few explicit comparisons methods classifying rurality (RRMA, vs. rest) have been published. What does study add: This demonstrates wide no worse, often greater, compared Adelaide. The conclusions are reached irrespective method rurality.