Effective Factors of Utilization of Inpatient, Outpatient, Diagnostic, and Pharmaceutical Health Services: A Systematic Review

Utilization is one of the dimensions of equity in health systems. Identifying the factors affecting utilization of health services can be helpful for interventional purposes. This study systematically reviewed the factors affecting the utilization of inpatient, outpatient, diagnostic, and pharmaceutical services. This systematic review was conducted between 2016 and 2017. The search was performed using keywords based on MeSH in valid databases such as Scopus, Embase, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Web of Science in the fields of title, abstract, and keyword. Related papers published from 2000 to 2017 were searched. First, the retrieved studies were screened and checked for quality; then, the useful data were extracted and analyzed. Out of the 1178 retrieved publications, 20 studies were included in the final analysis. The identified factors were categorized into 5 areas, including demographic (4 items), socioeconomic (13 items), health services–related (13 items), health status–related (7 items), and health insurance–related factors (2 items), and reported. The findings of this study can be a useful source and a comprehensive body of evidence on the utilization of health services. The results can be used by the policy makers and managers in designing interventions for changing the utilization patterns of health services.