The Role and Scope of Private Medical Practice in China

Chapter 3. Result part 2
The final model of multivariate analysis using Cox regression (Table 12)
showed that the significant factors influencing “unmet need” were: province
(Shanxi>Sichuan>Guangdong), urban residential area, male gender, no health
insurance and lower household income.
Table 12. Factors that independently affecting “genuine” unmet need in the past 12-
month
Variables
RR & 95% CI
Province
Guangdong* 1.00
Shanxi 2.23 (1.72-2.90)
Sichuan 1.90 (1.45-2.48)
Type of area
Urban 1.58 (1.31-1.90)
Rural* 1.00
Gender
Male* 1.00
Female 0.80 (0.68-0.94)
Health insurance
No 1.24 (1.00-1.53)
Yes*
Income
Less than 2000 2.30 (1.58-3.35)
2000-4999 2.15 (1.51-3.08)
5000-9999 1.94 (1.40-2.69)
10000-19999 1.49 (1.07-2.06)
20000 and above* 1.00
* Reference group
Utilization of private medical services
About 33% of household survey respondents reported that their last visit was
to a private clinic. Only 5% sought treatment at a private hospital, and 1% was
admitted to a private hospital. In view of the small number of patients treated at
private hospitals, further comparative subgroup analysis was done only for private
clinics and public clinics.
The significant factors affecting the utilization of private clinics are shown in
Table 13. People from Sichuan and Guangdong, rural areas, and having health
insurance were more likely to visit private clinics.
Table 13. Factors independently affecting utilization of private clinics
Variables
RR & 95% CI
Province
Guangdong 0.85 (0.74-0.98)
Shanxi 0.66 (0.56-0.78)
Sichuan* 1.00
Type of area
Urban 0.56 (0.48-0.65)
Rural* 1.00
Health insurance
Yes 1.18 (1.00-1.41)
No* 1.00
* Reference group
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