Geographic disparities in inpatient service in primary care and patients' choice of first point of consultation: a linked cross-sectional survey and administrative data analysis in Shaanxi of China
Our findings suggest that inpatient service in primary care enhancement exhibits heterogeneous effects on FPC rates across China's geographic and socioeconomic strata. Policy prioritization should focus on targeted interventions in underserved rural regions with medical resource scarcity, potentially yielding greater equity dividends in healthcare access. Improving the capacity of primary care services should remain a key direction of health system.
Authors
- Yan Zhuang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6816-3071)
- Zhongliang Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3850-4752)
- Chi Shen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5417-1444)
- Qiwei Deng
- Dantong Zhao
- Yulin Ren (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2472-6531)
Institutions
- Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (CN)
- Chang'an University (CN)
- Huazhong University of Science and Technology (CN)
- Wuhan Sports University (CN)
- Xi'an Jiaotong University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- International Journal for Equity in Health
- Published
- 2025-09-29
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-025-02623-y
- Primary Topic
- Healthcare Systems and Reforms
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- China Postdoctoral Science Foundation