Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Access to and Utilization of Primary Care Services Among HIV-Infected Women

1999; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Volume: 21; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1097/00126334-199908010-00006

1944-7884

Herminia Palacio, Caroline H. Shiboski, Edward H. Yelin, Nancy A. Hessol, Ruth M. Greenblatt,

HIV/AIDS drug development and treatment

To identify factors associated with the use of medical services, and to test a model of access to care, among HIV-infected women.A cross-sectional telephone survey was administered to 213 HIV-infected women. Outcomes were having a primary care provider, and use of primary care and emergency health services. Predictors included characteristics of the population-at-risk and of the health care system.Ninety-three percent of respondents had a primary care provider. Linear regression found age >45 years (p = .002), perceiving greater barriers to getting to a clinic (p = .04) and greater benefits from medications (p = .03), lack of problems with appointment times (p = .02), having AIDS (p = .01), shorter appointment waiting times (p = .0003), and greater cost of travel to care (p = .001) were associated with a greater number of primary care visits. Thirty-seven percent missed at least 1 primary care appointment. In logistic regression, lack of insurance (odds ratio [OR] = 2.76), current injection drug use (OR = 2.89) and difficulty remembering appointments (OR = 2.36) were associated with having missed any appointments.Characteristics of the population-at-risk and of the health care system both make important contributions to primary care service use.