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Canadian Community-Dwelling Young-Old and Old-Old: Determinants of Satisfaction with Health Care

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Dorothy A. Forbes
Affiliation:
University of Saskatchewan

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to identify the determinants of satisfaction with health care for Canadian community-dwelling older adults. A correlational design was used to examine the relationships between socio-demographic indicators, psychosocial variables, health services utilization, and satisfaction with health care in the young-old and old-old. A subsample (N = 2,413) from the 1994/95 National Population Health Survey Supplement was analysed. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that socio-demographic variables were the best predictors of satisfaction with the national health care system in the young-old. Consultation with health care professionals was the best predictor of satisfaction with the Canadian health care system in the old-old and of health care personally received in both cohorts. Consultations with alternative practitioners was negatively related to satisfaction with health care in Canada and to care personally received in the old-old. The identification of the best determinants of satisfaction with health care can provide useful direction to policy makers, program planners, and practitioners so that more appropriate and effective services can be made available to this population.

Résumé

Cette étude visait à déterminer les facteurs de satisfaction à l'égard des soins de santé chez les aîné(e)s canadien(ne)s vivant dans la communauté. On a utilisé un concept corrélationnel pour examiner les relations entre les facteurs sociodémographiques, les variables psychosociales, l'utilisation des services de santé et la satisfaction à l'égard des soins de santé chez les jeunes aîné(e)s et chez les aîné(e)s plus âgés. On a analysé un sous-échantillonage (N = 2 413) de l'Enquête nationale sur la santé de la population de 1994/95. Des analyses de régression hiérarchique ont révélé que les variables socio-démographiques constituaient les meilleurs prédicteurs de satisfaction à l'égard du système de santé national chez les jeunes aîné(e)s. La consultation des professionnels de la santé était le meilleur prédicteur de satisfaction à l'égard du système de soins de santé canadien chez les aîné(e)s âgé(e)s et des soins de santé reçus dans les deux groupes. La consultation des praticiens de médecines parallèles indiquait l'insatisfaction envers les soins de santé canadiens et des soins reçus par les aîné(e)s âgé(e)s. La détermination des plus importants facteurs de satisfaction à l'égard des soins de santé peut fournir des indices utiles aux responsables des politiques, aux planificateurs de programmes et aux praticiens de sorte que l'on puisse offrir des services plus appropriés et plus efficaces à ce groupe de population.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2001

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