Impact of Socioeconomic Status on the Perception of Accessibility to and Quality of Healthcare Services during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Poles—Pilot Study

Magdalena Tuczyńska, Rafał Staszewski, Maja Matthews-Kozanecka and Ewa Baum
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Magdalena Tuczyńska: SSC of Maxillofacial and Orthopaedics and Orthodontics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznan, Poland
Rafał Staszewski: Department of Hypertension, Angiology and Internal Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznan, Poland
Maja Matthews-Kozanecka: Department of Social Sciences and the Humanities, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznan, Poland
Ewa Baum: Department of Social Sciences and the Humanities, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznan, Poland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 9, 1-10

Abstract: This pilot study was conducted on the reported hypothesis that the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak had an impact on the accessibility and quality of healthcare services and exacerbated socioeconomic inequalities. The aim was to determine whether economic status and education had an impact on the perception of access and quality to healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether, according to patients, accessibility and quality had changed significantly compared to the pre-pandemic period in Poland. The study was based on the authors’ questionnaire and the results were statistically analyzed. Two hundred forty-seven feedback responses were received with a responsiveness rate of 93 percent. Statistically significant differences were found when comparing education level and utilization of healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic. A comparison of gender and economic situation, and average monthly income found no statistically significant differences. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly affected the provision of health services in many countries around the world. One result of the pandemic crisis has been widening socioeconomic inequalities among patients.

Keywords: COVID-19; pandemic; socioeconomic status; SES; healthcare (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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