Factors influencing utilization of medical care among osteoarthritis patients in Korea: Using 2005 Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey d6ata

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to define the association between the medical utilization of osteoarthritis patient and its related factors. Methods: We used the 2005 Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey data and we enrolled 2833 participants who were forty or older and who were diagnosed as having osteoarthritis by a doctor within 1 year and who had suffered from osteoarthritis for more than 3 months. The Andersen behavioral model was used as the analytic framework, and the variables were categorized into predisposing, enabling, and need factors. To determine the influence of each variable on the medical utilization of osteoarthritis patient, we applied hierarchical logistic regression analysis with two stages: the first stage included the predisposing and enabling factors and the second stage included the need factors. Results: On the hierarchical logistic analysis, the variables of personal income, the type of medical security, the duration of arthritis related symptoms within 1 month, the subjective health status and the duration of osteoarthritis showed a statistically significant association with medical utilization in men. And the variables of age, limitation activity due to osteoarthritis, arthritis related symptoms within 1 month, and the subjective health status had a statistically significant association with medical utilization in women. Conclusions: The patients who tend to receive less care are those who suffer less from symptoms of osteoarthritis, those who are within the initial phase, or those with a low-level severity of osteoarthritis. It is necessary to encourage patients to receive the treatment in the initial phase.