Factors related to rural residents' satisfaction with and use of health services

Abstract

This descriptive study was conducted to examine factors related to patients' satisfaction with and use of health care services among rural populations in four communities in south-central Arizona. A secondary analysis was conducted, using data from the Comprehensive Multi-level Nursing Practice project (Ferketich, Phillips, & Verran, 1990). 10 Certain factors related to residents' satisfaction with general health care and use of health services were examined among groups categorized by knowledge and use of free health services. Analysis of the data suggested that there was a statistically significant difference in gender and ethnicity among groups reflecting knowledge and use of free clinic services (p < .05). In this study, females and Hispanics represented a higher proportion of people knowing and using free clinic services, but this was not so for age, level of education, and family composition. There was not a statistically significant difference in patients' satisfaction among groups reflecting knowledge and use of free clinic services. The relationship between predisposing factors and patients' satisfaction with health care showed that only age was statistically significantly, but weakly, related to patients' satisfaction (r = .13, 12 < . 05).