Affordability of health services and associated factors among patients with diabetes mellitus under regular follow-up at Dessie Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northeast Ethiopia.

Background: The burden of chronic illnesses, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes, is increasing in low- and middle-income countries. However, health systems often struggle to meet the needs of chronically ill patients. Affordability is crucial in ensuring access to quality healthcare for patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and evaluating healthcare costs. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the affordability of health services and identify associated factors among DM patients receiving regular follow-ups at Dessie Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in Northeast Ethiopia, 2023.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 392 DM patients at Dessie Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (DCSH) from July 1 to 30, 2023. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and chart review checklist. Systematic random sampling was employed, and the data were analyzed using EPI INFO version 7 and SPSS version 26. The outcome variable, affordability of health services, was measured by five items using a structured questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify significant factors associated at 95% confidence interval using odds ratio.
Results: Most participants were married (74.2%), and 55.9% were male. Among the DM patients, 211 (53.83%) found the health services affordable, with an interval of 48.85-58.72% at a 95% confidence interval with a p-value less than 0.05. Factors significantly associated with healthcare affordability included marital status, family size, average monthly income, and brand prescription.
Conclusion: The study revealed that healthcare services were affordable for approximately half of the DM patients. However, this level of affordability falls short of the ideal standard. Improving the affordability and accessibility of healthcare services for DM patients, particularly those from low-income backgrounds, is crucial to ensuring better health outcomes.
Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethical clearance was obtained from the Ethical Review committee of College of Medicine and Health Sciences at Wollo University, with reference number CMHS/789/2016, on July 1, 2023, and supporting letter was taken from the Dessie Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in the study area. The study was conducted following the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. This study adhered to ethical guidelines, ensuring the study participants’ privacy, confidentiality, and voluntary participation. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants before data collection. Participants were informed of their right to withdraw from the study at any time without any consequences. Confidentiality was maintained throughout the study. The study protocol was submitted to the relevant ethical review committee of College of Medicine and Health Sciences at Wollo University for approval. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)