The Levels and Factors Associated with Access to Primary Care Services among Hypertensive Patients in Muang District, Phetchabun Province, Thailand: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to assess the levels of access to primary care services and to identify factors associated with access to primary care services among hypertensive patients in Muang district, Phetchabun province, Thailand. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in the primary care unit of Phetchabun Hospital from 1 May 2023 to 31 July 2023. Purposive sampling was used to select hypertensive patients to be participants. Data were collected using the questionnaire. Access to primary care services was divided into 4 dimensions (availability, accessibility, accommodation, and acceptability). The mean accessibility score was calculated and interpreted into 3 levels (low-high). Sociodemographic data were analysed as factors associated with access to primary care services using multiple logistic regression. Results: A total of 120 participants were interviewed. Male-to-female ratio was 1:2.2. The mean age (±SD) was 61.9 (±6.2) years. Overall, access to primary care was high (3.74±0.62), with accommodation receiving the highest mean accessibility score (4.06±0.66) and accessibility the lowest (3.08±1.12). We found that age ≥ 60 years (P-value 0.039, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.077 – 16.383), living family (P-value 0.018, 95% CI 0.019 – 0.692), living in urban area (P-value <0.001, 95% CI 10.468 - 337.271), employed status (P-value 0.001, 95% CI 2.336 - 30.388) and income >10,000 Baht per month (P-value 0.037, 95% CI 1.102 – 24.642) were associated with access to primary care. Conclusions: Overall, the level of primary care access was high. Age, living status, living area, employed status, and income were significantly associated factors. Expanding primary care services to local levels such as telemedicine might help improve the level of access. The effectiveness of expanding the service should be further study.