Zeitschrift für Evidenz, Fortbildung und Qualität im Gesundheitswesen
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Z Evid Fortbild Qual Gesundhwes · Oct 2017
[Sociodemographic and health-related determinants of health care utilisation and access to primary and specialist care: Results of a nationwide population survey in Germany (2006-2016)].
The aim of this paper is to identify systematic differences due to sociodemographic and health-related determinants in outpatient healthcare utilisation and access in Germany for the period from 2006 to 2016. The study focuses on frequent users and those reporting particularly long wait times for their physician appointments, and it contributes to assessing the level of health equity in Germany. ⋯ This study reveals that a high frequency of GP and SP consultations is primarily associated with self-assessed poor health, indicating that prioritisation is based on clinical need. In order to ensure the same needs-based prioritisation in the access to outpatient healthcare, regulatory measures are required to decrease wait times of more than one month for SP appointments, with a special focus on people with statutory health insurance coverage, residents of eastern Germany and the elderly.