Paper Example on Population Data and Health Services: A Closer Look

Demographic characteristics which are a crucial feature in the population of all geographic areas are a direct determinant of the utility of health services available in the location. These characteristics include age, gender, education, ethnicity, among others (Gresenz et al., 2009). Various methods can be used to extract population data to determine who use the services and those that don't use the health services. Among them are: population census, sample surveys, and vital registration statistics.

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Population census data provides information of all people living in the area and is carried out after some time. The data obtained includes demographic characteristics such as sex, age, marital status, religion, language and ethnicity. It also contains information about the fertility and mortality rates besides the education and economic status and disability characteristics in the chosen area. Therefore, a description of the demography will determine the access and utility of health services by the people based on those features. The method is advantageous in that; it collects data from each individual in the area and provides information on the composition, size and distribution of the population. On the other hand, a significant setback in this method is in frequency as the process is carried out after a long time and may not provide detailed information due to errors in the process.

Among the different surveys carried out, household surveys are essential in determining the accessibility of health services. Household surveys contain information on the socio-economic and housing characteristics which may not be captured in the census. The surveys provide timely information on emerging issues and personal features (Janssens and Kraft, 2012). Advantages of household surveys include its flexibility in data collection, provision of detailed information on the subjects, and the provision of timely information with a focus on current issues continuously. Also, household surveys maintain resources that had earlier been utilized, including maps, infrastructure and data processing procedures.

However, sampling errors are a disadvantage in this method.

Administrative records, specifically health facility records, are also outstanding. Health statistics recorded on the delivery of health services can be used to determine how many people access the services. Among these records include those who utilize family planning, antenatal, outpatient and other services offered. Except for errors that may be associated with health statistics, health records are vital in that they show who received the services. From a study of the health facility records, one can determine who do not still access the services offered in the health facility (Holman et al., 1999).

Sampling methods that may be utilized in determining respondents include simple random sampling which does not aim at a particular group in the population. Therefore, it provides data from the general population and consists of all demographic characteristics and is not biased to certain people (Deichmann et al., 2001). Out of the established community, random people are selected to be part of the data collection.

Though recruitment of participants may be quite a challenge in data collection, cost-effective and more reliable method may be utilized. One of the most efficient ways is online recruitment which includes the use of social media platforms (Moorhead et al., 2013). The method is less expensive and less time consuming besides being used by many people and the ability to advertise based explicitly on user characteristics. However, it may be not easy to accurately track the participants who may be precipitated by technology challenges.

Telephone Survey

• How often do you seek health care services offered in your locality when you fall sick?
• Are there any barriers to the access of health services? If yes what are they?
• Would you prefer using the available healthcare services? If yes, what are some of the reasons?
• What are some of the alternatives to the health services offered?
• What is your first action when you have symptoms of a disease?
• Do people around you seek health care services when sick?
• What is the local response to a disease outbreak in the area?
• Are there any human diversity factors e.g., ethnicity, age, gender that deter people from using health services? If yes what are they?
• Are there any conflicting cultural or religious practices to the health services offered? If yes, what are they?
• Based on your knowledge is it that majority of the population in your area do not use the health services offered in your area? a) strongly disagree b) disagree c)neither disagree nor agree d) agree e) strongly agree

References

Deichmann, U., Balk, D., & Yetman, G. (2001). Transforming population data for interdisciplinary usages: from census to grid. Washington (DC): Center for International Earth Science Information Network, 200(1). https://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/binaries/web/sedac/collections/gpw-v3/gpwdocumentation.pdf

Gresenz, C. R., Rogowski, J., & Escarce, J. J. (2009). Community demographics and access to health care among US Hispanics. Health services research, 44(5p1), 1542-1562. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2754547/

Holman, C. D. A. J., Bass, A. J., Rouse, I. L., & Hobbs, M. S. (1999). Populationbased linkage of health records in Western Australia: development of a health services research linked database. Australian and New Zealand journal of public health, 23(5), 453-459. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1467-842X.1999.tb01297.x

Janssens, A. C. J., & Kraft, P. (2012). Research conducted using data obtained through online communities: ethical implications of methodological limitations. PLoS Med, 9(10), e1001328. https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1001328

Moorhead, S. A., Hazlett, D. E., Harrison, L., Carroll, J. K., Irwin, A., & Hoving, C. (2013). A new dimension of health care: systematic review of the uses, benefits, and limitations of social media for health communication. Journal of medical Internet research, 15(4), e85. https://www.jmir.org/article/view/1933/xml