Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.
BMJ Open. 2023 Jul 30;13(7):e073392. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-073392.
To investigate how individuals diagnosed with cancer use out-of-hours (OOH) medical services, describe the behavioural determinants of OOH service use and explore whether there are differences between urban and rural dwellers.
A cross-sectional questionnaire study conducted in Northeast Scotland.
The questionnaire was sent to 2549 individuals diagnosed with cancer in the preceding 12 months identified through the National Health Service Grampian Cancer Care Pathway database. 490 individuals returned the questionnaire (19.2% response rate), 61.8% were urban and 34.9% were rural.
Outcomes were differences in frequency of medical service use and attitudes towards OOH services between urban and rural participants. Patient experience (qualitative data) was compared.
Daytime services were used much more frequently than OOH services-83.3% of participants had never contacted an OOH primary care service in the preceding 12 months but 44.2% had used their daytime general practitioner at least four times. There were no significant differences between urban and rural dwellers in the patterns of OOH or daytime service use, the behavioural determinants of service use or the experiences of OOH services. Rural dwellers were significantly less likely to agree that OOH services were close by and more likely to agree that where they lived made it difficult to access these services. Rural dwellers were no more likely to agree or disagree that distance would affect their decision to contact OOH services. Qualitative results highlighted barriers to accessing OOH services exist for all patients but that long travel distances can be offset by service configuration, travel infrastructure and access to a car.
Urban and rural dwellers have similar beliefs, attitudes towards and patterns of OOH service use. In Northeast Scotland, place of residence is unlikely to be the most important factor in influencing decisions about whether to access OOH medical care.
调查癌症患者如何使用非工作时间（OOH）医疗服务，描述 OOH 服务使用的行为决定因素，并探讨城乡居民之间是否存在差异。
在苏格兰东北部进行的一项横断面问卷调查研究。
问卷调查发送给了在过去 12 个月内通过苏格兰国家卫生服务集团癌症护理途径数据库确诊的 2549 名癌症患者。有 490 人返回了问卷（19.2%的回复率），其中 61.8%来自城市，34.9%来自农村。
城乡参与者在医疗服务使用频率和对 OOH 服务的态度方面存在差异。比较了患者体验（定性数据）。
白天服务的使用频率明显高于 OOH 服务——83.3%的参与者在过去 12 个月内从未联系过 OOH 初级保健服务，但 44.2%的参与者至少四次使用了他们的白天全科医生。在 OOH 或白天服务使用模式、服务使用的行为决定因素或 OOH 服务的体验方面，城乡居民之间没有显著差异。农村居民不太可能同意 OOH 服务就在附近，更有可能同意他们居住的地方使他们难以获得这些服务。农村居民不太可能同意或不同意距离会影响他们是否联系 OOH 服务的决定。定性结果强调，所有患者都存在获得 OOH 服务的障碍，但长途旅行可以通过服务配置、旅行基础设施和获得汽车来弥补。
城乡居民对 OOH 服务的看法、态度和使用模式相似。在苏格兰东北部，居住地点不太可能是影响是否获得 OOH 医疗服务决策的最重要因素。
