The Affecting Factors of Healthcare Services Demand in terms of Health Services Use: A Field Application

The main purpose of the study is to reveal the factors that influence the demand of health services and the relationship between them and demographic characteristics. The study was conducted in Edirne city center in 2015. Systematic sampling was used to select the sample. Convenience sampling was conducted and the significance level was set as p < 0.05. Data analysis was performed with the help ofusing SPSS version 20 software and he Mann Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis and mean tests were performed. Data on factors affecting the health services demand were collected in five categories: economic factors, characteristics of the health institute, attitudes and behaviors of the physician, attitudes and behavior of nurses and auxiliary staff, and the physical environmental specifications of the health institute. According to the results, gender, family members, personal income, and perception of economic level affect the demand for health services. In addition, a clean environment and quality of healthcare services, medical equipment for diagnosis and treatment in health care facilities, adequate laboratory and analysis unit, information provided about diagnosis and treatment by doctors, and the reliability of healthcare services provided by doctors emerged as the factors most affecting health demand. It is recommended that managers responsible for managing healthcare facilities know the factors affecting the demand for healthcare, especially in cases where the possibility of choice exists.