| Title |
No gynecologist in town: the gynecological care of women in rural Taiwan
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Patient preference and adherence, July 2015
|
| DOI | 10.2147/ppa.s64731 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Li-Jung Lai, Chia-Lin Chou, H Irene Su, Tzeng-Ji Chen, Li-Fang Chou, Yueh-Ching Chou, Shinn-Jang Hwang, Hann-Chin Yu |
| Abstract |
A shortage of gynecologists exists in many countries. Even within an affluent country, gynecological clinics might not be evenly distributed. The purpose of the study was to investigate the disparity in gynecological care between adult women living in towns with and without gynecologists in Taiwan. Data sources were the cohort datasets of the National Health Insurance Research Database, with claims data of 1 million beneficiaries in 2010. A woman's residency was operationally inferred from the locations where she had most frequently visited physicians' clinics or local community hospitals within the year. In Taiwan, 145 (39.4%) of 368 towns had no practicing gynecologist. Of 382,167 women with health care use in the datasets, 21,794 (5.7%) lived in towns without a gynecologist. The overwhelming majority of these towns lay in sparsely populated, rural areas. During the year, 132,702 women (34.7%) had sought medical help for gynecological diseases and 113,698 (29.8%) had visited gynecologists for gynecological diseases. Women in towns without a gynecologist were less likely to consult for gynecological diseases (23.8% versus 35.4%; P<0.001) and visit gynecologists (18.7% versus 30.4%; P<0.001) than women in towns with a gynecologist. The disparity existed in each age group. Among 5,189 adult women living in towns without a gynecologist and having gynecological diseases, 78.5% (number [n]=4,074) visited gynecologists out of town, especially for infertility, benign disorders of the uterus and ovaries, gynecological examinations, and contraceptive problems, and by contrast 23.3% (n=1,209) visited nongynecologists in town, most commonly for menopausal disorders, endometriosis and pelvic pain, menstrual disorders and hormonal dysfunction, and genital dysplasia. Gynecological care of rural women was adversely affected by the shortage of gynecologists. The consequences of accessibility in underserved areas deserve further investigation. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 2 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 2 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 2 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 19 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 19 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 4 | 21% |
| Other | 3 | 16% |
| Researcher | 2 | 11% |
| Student > Bachelor | 2 | 11% |
| Lecturer > Senior Lecturer | 1 | 5% |
| Other | 3 | 16% |
| Unknown | 4 | 21% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and Dentistry | 5 | 26% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 2 | 11% |
| Environmental Science | 1 | 5% |
| Unspecified | 1 | 5% |
| Arts and Humanities | 1 | 5% |
| Other | 4 | 21% |
| Unknown | 5 | 26% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 30 July 2015.
All research outputs
#17,285,668
of 25,373,627 outputs
Outputs from Patient preference and adherence
#1,064
of 1,757 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#165,254
of 277,610 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Patient preference and adherence
#29
of 53 outputs
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