Factors influencing health services access among elderly in Ban Kum Sub-District Health Promoting Hospital, Mueang Phetchaburi District, Phetchaburi Province

Abstract

This study was survey research with the objective of examining the factors influencing healthcare service accessibility among the elderly at Ban Kum Subdistrict Health Promoting Hospital, Phetchaburi Province. The sample consisted of 311 elderly individuals residing in Ban Kum Subdistrict, Mueang Phetchaburi District, Phetchaburi Province, selected through stratified random sampling. The research instrument was a questionnaire on factors influencing healthcare service accessibility of the elderly, which was validated for content validity by three experts, yielding a content validity index (CVI) ranging from .67 to 1.00. The reliability of the instrument was confirmed with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of .84. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression analysis.

The findings revealed that most of the participants were female (60.80%) and aged 60–64 years (58.80%). Most households consisted of 4–6 members (53.70%), with a monthly income of less than 5,000 baht (64.60%). Regarding health status, diabetes mellitus was the most common condition (29.60%). The majority were covered by the Universal Coverage Scheme (gold card) (75.90%), and 56.30% lived within approximately 1 kilometer of a healthcare facility. The elderly’s perception of service quality was rated at a high level (𝑥̅ = 4.01, SD = 0.31), and their overall healthcare service accessibility was also rated at a high level (𝑥̅ = 4.41, SD = 0.23). The factors significantly influencing healthcare service accessibility included gender (p = .021), trustworthiness (p < .001), assurance (p < .001), and tangibility of services (p < .001).