Evaluation of Healthcare Use among Patients Aged 65 and over Applying to the General Surgery Outpatient Clinic

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to evaluate and determine the associated factors of appropriate healthcare use of elderly patients presenting to the general surgery outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital.
METHODS: This hospital-focused cross-sectional study was conducted on patients aged 65 years and over who applied to tertiary care services between March 2021 and September 2021. The data were collected with a questionnaire using a face-to-face interview technique. The data collection form consisted of two sections, which assess sociodemographic features and the medical status of the patients.
RESULTS: A total of 340 patients were included in the study. The frequency of using tertiary healthcare services appropriately was 41 (12.1%). When the use of tertiary healthcare services was evaluated with logistic regression models, living area (OR=2.994 [1.375–6.521], p=0.006), duration of education (OR=3.032 [1.424–6.454], p=0.004), transport to healthcare center (OR=3.157 [1.193–8.353], p=0.021) and to know the family physician (OR=0.425 [0.203–0.892], p=0.024) were found to be significant.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The effective use of the referral chain in the healthcare system will enable more effective use of tertiary healthcare institutions.