[Socioeconomic determinants and utilization of emergency hospital services]. / Determinantes socioeconómicos y utilización de los servicios hospitalarios de urgencias.

BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic level is a key determinant for health status. It may also influence on the utilization of hospital emergency services, although the factor responsible for that is not known. The main objective of the present report is to assess whether patients using frequently hospital emergency services have one or more variables related to low socioeconomic level. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A standardized questionnaire was applied to 800 patients randomly selected from those attending the emergency services of a provincial reference hospital. It was gathered information on: income, education level, employment, loneliness, domestic violence, occupational accidents, and life style. Odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated. Stepwise logistic regression analysis was used to ascertain the independent predictors for attending for than once to the emergency services. RESULTS: In crude analysis, low income and low educational level were significantly related to the use of emergency services (both chi 2 for a trend < 0.05). Alcoholism (OR = 2.3, 95% CI = 1.2-4.7) and domestic violence (OR = 2.6, 95% CI = 0.9-8.1) were also related. Stepwise logistic regression analysis selected income (OR for intermediate level = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.0-2.7, and OR for low level = 2.3, 95% CI = 1.4-3.7) and alcoholism (OR = 2.9, 95% CI = 1.3-6.4) as independent predictors. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with low income and/or alcoholism use emergency hospital services more frequently.

[The construction and validation of a questionnaire on the satisfaction of primary health care users]. / Construcción y validación de una encuesta de satisfacción de usuarios de atención primaria.

The questionnaire was developed after establishing the domains that might be measured with it and selecting 16 items. During June and September 1987 it was administered to 163 patients, selected by quota sampling, who belonged to two health centers and two outpatient clinics from the city of Almería. With the obtained data several parts of the questionnaire were validated: stability, homogeneity, distorting variables and constructed validity. There were significant differences (analysis of variance) between the satisfaction of the users of health centers and outpatient clinics (p = 0.042) (higher satisfaction in health centers). There were not marked differences between the users of both health centers (p = 0.144) and between both outpatient clinics (p = 0.66). The measurement of satisfaction is a valuable instrument for the investigation and administration of health services and a good indicator of the quality of care.