Determinants of Self-referral among Outpatients at Referral Hospitals in East Wollega, Western Ethiopia

Edosa Tesfaye Geta; Yibeltal Siraneh; Elias Ali Yesuf

doi:doi:10.11648/j.jfmhc.20210703.11

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Determinants of Self-referral among Outpatients at Referral Hospitals in East Wollega, Western Ethiopia

Edosa Tesfaye Geta, Yibeltal Siraneh, Elias Ali Yesuf

Published in Journal of Family Medicine and Health Care (Volume 7, Issue 3)

Received: 28 July 2021 Accepted: 9 August 2021 Published: 23 August 2021

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Abstract

Patient self-referral is a process through which patients refer themselves to higher level health facilities without seeing anyone else first or being advised to refer themselves by a health professional. Despite the expansion in the number of health facilities, this phenomenon is perceived when patients routinely access referral hospitals. This study aimed to determine the magnitude and identify the determinants of outpatient self-referral at referral hospitals. It was conducted in East Wollega zone of Oromia National Regional State, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study design was used to collect data between December 1 and 30, 2017. For the study, a 404 samples size was determined using a single population proportion formula. Data entry and analysis were done using SPSS version 20. Descriptive statistics, binary and multiple logistic regressions were performed. A total of 404 outpatients were included, thereby making the response rate of 96.8%. Amongst the 391 outpatients who were interviewed, 330 (84.4%) engaged in self-referral. The factors significantly associated with outpatient self-referral were referral information (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.32 [0.15–0.70]), illness severity (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% CI = 3.50 [1.47–8.30]), confidence of patients in getting care providers (Adjusted odds ratio and 95 CI = 3.03 [1.51–6.07]), availability of laboratory services (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% CI = 5.00 [2.20–11.23]) and drugs (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% CI = 2.37 [1.01–5.53]) and quality of health services (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% CI = 3.00 [1.42–6.33]). The proportion of outpatient self-referral was high and it was associated with referral information, patient confidence in getting healthcare providers, the severity of illness, availability of laboratory services, drugs and the quality of services. A monitoring system of the referral linkage of health facilities should be established at all levels and health facilities should create awareness in the community regarding the referral linkages of health facilities.

Published in	Journal of Family Medicine and Health Care (Volume 7, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.jfmhc.20210703.11
Page(s)	57-64
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Self-referral, Outpatient Visit, Referral Hospital, Health Care Utilization

References

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APA Style

Edosa Tesfaye Geta, Yibeltal Siraneh, Elias Ali Yesuf. (2021). Determinants of Self-referral among Outpatients at Referral Hospitals in East Wollega, Western Ethiopia. Journal of Family Medicine and Health Care, 7(3), 57-64. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfmhc.20210703.11

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ACS Style

Edosa Tesfaye Geta; Yibeltal Siraneh; Elias Ali Yesuf. Determinants of Self-referral among Outpatients at Referral Hospitals in East Wollega, Western Ethiopia. J. Fam. Med. Health Care 2021, 7(3), 57-64. doi: 10.11648/j.jfmhc.20210703.11

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AMA Style

Edosa Tesfaye Geta, Yibeltal Siraneh, Elias Ali Yesuf. Determinants of Self-referral among Outpatients at Referral Hospitals in East Wollega, Western Ethiopia. J Fam Med Health Care. 2021;7(3):57-64. doi: 10.11648/j.jfmhc.20210703.11

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@article{10.11648/j.jfmhc.20210703.11,
  author = {Edosa Tesfaye Geta and Yibeltal Siraneh and Elias Ali Yesuf},
  title = {Determinants of Self-referral among Outpatients at Referral Hospitals in East Wollega, Western Ethiopia},
  journal = {Journal of Family Medicine and Health Care},
  volume = {7},
  number = {3},
  pages = {57-64},
  doi = {10.11648/j.jfmhc.20210703.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfmhc.20210703.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jfmhc.20210703.11},
  abstract = {Patient self-referral is a process through which patients refer themselves to higher level health facilities without seeing anyone else first or being advised to refer themselves by a health professional. Despite the expansion in the number of health facilities, this phenomenon is perceived when patients routinely access referral hospitals. This study aimed to determine the magnitude and identify the determinants of outpatient self-referral at referral hospitals. It was conducted in East Wollega zone of Oromia National Regional State, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study design was used to collect data between December 1 and 30, 2017. For the study, a 404 samples size was determined using a single population proportion formula. Data entry and analysis were done using SPSS version 20. Descriptive statistics, binary and multiple logistic regressions were performed. A total of 404 outpatients were included, thereby making the response rate of 96.8%. Amongst the 391 outpatients who were interviewed, 330 (84.4%) engaged in self-referral. The factors significantly associated with outpatient self-referral were referral information (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.32 [0.15–0.70]), illness severity (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% CI = 3.50 [1.47–8.30]), confidence of patients in getting care providers (Adjusted odds ratio and 95 CI = 3.03 [1.51–6.07]), availability of laboratory services (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% CI = 5.00 [2.20–11.23]) and drugs (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% CI = 2.37 [1.01–5.53]) and quality of health services (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% CI = 3.00 [1.42–6.33]). The proportion of outpatient self-referral was high and it was associated with referral information, patient confidence in getting healthcare providers, the severity of illness, availability of laboratory services, drugs and the quality of services. A monitoring system of the referral linkage of health facilities should be established at all levels and health facilities should create awareness in the community regarding the referral linkages of health facilities.},
 year = {2021}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Determinants of Self-referral among Outpatients at Referral Hospitals in East Wollega, Western Ethiopia
AU  - Edosa Tesfaye Geta
AU  - Yibeltal Siraneh
AU  - Elias Ali Yesuf
Y1  - 2021/08/23
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfmhc.20210703.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.jfmhc.20210703.11
T2  - Journal of Family Medicine and Health Care
JF  - Journal of Family Medicine and Health Care
JO  - Journal of Family Medicine and Health Care
SP  - 57
EP  - 64
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2469-8342
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfmhc.20210703.11
AB  - Patient self-referral is a process through which patients refer themselves to higher level health facilities without seeing anyone else first or being advised to refer themselves by a health professional. Despite the expansion in the number of health facilities, this phenomenon is perceived when patients routinely access referral hospitals. This study aimed to determine the magnitude and identify the determinants of outpatient self-referral at referral hospitals. It was conducted in East Wollega zone of Oromia National Regional State, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study design was used to collect data between December 1 and 30, 2017. For the study, a 404 samples size was determined using a single population proportion formula. Data entry and analysis were done using SPSS version 20. Descriptive statistics, binary and multiple logistic regressions were performed. A total of 404 outpatients were included, thereby making the response rate of 96.8%. Amongst the 391 outpatients who were interviewed, 330 (84.4%) engaged in self-referral. The factors significantly associated with outpatient self-referral were referral information (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.32 [0.15–0.70]), illness severity (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% CI = 3.50 [1.47–8.30]), confidence of patients in getting care providers (Adjusted odds ratio and 95 CI = 3.03 [1.51–6.07]), availability of laboratory services (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% CI = 5.00 [2.20–11.23]) and drugs (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% CI = 2.37 [1.01–5.53]) and quality of health services (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% CI = 3.00 [1.42–6.33]). The proportion of outpatient self-referral was high and it was associated with referral information, patient confidence in getting healthcare providers, the severity of illness, availability of laboratory services, drugs and the quality of services. A monitoring system of the referral linkage of health facilities should be established at all levels and health facilities should create awareness in the community regarding the referral linkages of health facilities.
VL  - 7
IS  - 3
ER  -

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Author Information

Edosa Tesfaye Geta

School of Public Health, Institute of Health Science, Wollega University, Nekemte, Ethiopia
Yibeltal Siraneh

Department of Health Policy and Management, Faculty of Public Health, Institute of Health, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
Elias Ali Yesuf

Department of Health Policy and Management, Faculty of Public Health, Institute of Health, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia

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Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Edosa Tesfaye Geta, Yibeltal Siraneh, Elias Ali Yesuf. (2021). Determinants of Self-referral among Outpatients at Referral Hospitals in East Wollega, Western Ethiopia. Journal of Family Medicine and Health Care, 7(3), 57-64. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfmhc.20210703.11

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ACS Style

Edosa Tesfaye Geta; Yibeltal Siraneh; Elias Ali Yesuf. Determinants of Self-referral among Outpatients at Referral Hospitals in East Wollega, Western Ethiopia. J. Fam. Med. Health Care 2021, 7(3), 57-64. doi: 10.11648/j.jfmhc.20210703.11

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AMA Style

Edosa Tesfaye Geta, Yibeltal Siraneh, Elias Ali Yesuf. Determinants of Self-referral among Outpatients at Referral Hospitals in East Wollega, Western Ethiopia. J Fam Med Health Care. 2021;7(3):57-64. doi: 10.11648/j.jfmhc.20210703.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.jfmhc.20210703.11,
  author = {Edosa Tesfaye Geta and Yibeltal Siraneh and Elias Ali Yesuf},
  title = {Determinants of Self-referral among Outpatients at Referral Hospitals in East Wollega, Western Ethiopia},
  journal = {Journal of Family Medicine and Health Care},
  volume = {7},
  number = {3},
  pages = {57-64},
  doi = {10.11648/j.jfmhc.20210703.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfmhc.20210703.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jfmhc.20210703.11},
  abstract = {Patient self-referral is a process through which patients refer themselves to higher level health facilities without seeing anyone else first or being advised to refer themselves by a health professional. Despite the expansion in the number of health facilities, this phenomenon is perceived when patients routinely access referral hospitals. This study aimed to determine the magnitude and identify the determinants of outpatient self-referral at referral hospitals. It was conducted in East Wollega zone of Oromia National Regional State, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study design was used to collect data between December 1 and 30, 2017. For the study, a 404 samples size was determined using a single population proportion formula. Data entry and analysis were done using SPSS version 20. Descriptive statistics, binary and multiple logistic regressions were performed. A total of 404 outpatients were included, thereby making the response rate of 96.8%. Amongst the 391 outpatients who were interviewed, 330 (84.4%) engaged in self-referral. The factors significantly associated with outpatient self-referral were referral information (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.32 [0.15–0.70]), illness severity (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% CI = 3.50 [1.47–8.30]), confidence of patients in getting care providers (Adjusted odds ratio and 95 CI = 3.03 [1.51–6.07]), availability of laboratory services (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% CI = 5.00 [2.20–11.23]) and drugs (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% CI = 2.37 [1.01–5.53]) and quality of health services (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% CI = 3.00 [1.42–6.33]). The proportion of outpatient self-referral was high and it was associated with referral information, patient confidence in getting healthcare providers, the severity of illness, availability of laboratory services, drugs and the quality of services. A monitoring system of the referral linkage of health facilities should be established at all levels and health facilities should create awareness in the community regarding the referral linkages of health facilities.},
 year = {2021}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Determinants of Self-referral among Outpatients at Referral Hospitals in East Wollega, Western Ethiopia
AU  - Edosa Tesfaye Geta
AU  - Yibeltal Siraneh
AU  - Elias Ali Yesuf
Y1  - 2021/08/23
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfmhc.20210703.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.jfmhc.20210703.11
T2  - Journal of Family Medicine and Health Care
JF  - Journal of Family Medicine and Health Care
JO  - Journal of Family Medicine and Health Care
SP  - 57
EP  - 64
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2469-8342
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfmhc.20210703.11
AB  - Patient self-referral is a process through which patients refer themselves to higher level health facilities without seeing anyone else first or being advised to refer themselves by a health professional. Despite the expansion in the number of health facilities, this phenomenon is perceived when patients routinely access referral hospitals. This study aimed to determine the magnitude and identify the determinants of outpatient self-referral at referral hospitals. It was conducted in East Wollega zone of Oromia National Regional State, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study design was used to collect data between December 1 and 30, 2017. For the study, a 404 samples size was determined using a single population proportion formula. Data entry and analysis were done using SPSS version 20. Descriptive statistics, binary and multiple logistic regressions were performed. A total of 404 outpatients were included, thereby making the response rate of 96.8%. Amongst the 391 outpatients who were interviewed, 330 (84.4%) engaged in self-referral. The factors significantly associated with outpatient self-referral were referral information (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.32 [0.15–0.70]), illness severity (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% CI = 3.50 [1.47–8.30]), confidence of patients in getting care providers (Adjusted odds ratio and 95 CI = 3.03 [1.51–6.07]), availability of laboratory services (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% CI = 5.00 [2.20–11.23]) and drugs (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% CI = 2.37 [1.01–5.53]) and quality of health services (Adjusted odds ratio and 95% CI = 3.00 [1.42–6.33]). The proportion of outpatient self-referral was high and it was associated with referral information, patient confidence in getting healthcare providers, the severity of illness, availability of laboratory services, drugs and the quality of services. A monitoring system of the referral linkage of health facilities should be established at all levels and health facilities should create awareness in the community regarding the referral linkages of health facilities.
VL  - 7
IS  - 3
ER  -

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