The Choice between Publicly and Privately Financed Health Care Systems in the Context of Access to Health Care Services in Rural Areas of West Pomerania Voivodship

Purpose: The subject of the research was to gain various aspects of access to health services in rural areas. The aim of the survey was to identify the factors which determine the choice of a given type of health service, specifically, factors related to the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents, and also to their different assessments of the health care system. Approach/Methodology/Design: The study was conducted at the turn of November 2019 and February 2020. The research sample included 646 adults respondents who permanently reside in rural areas and who gave informed consent. The publication uses the method relating to the different types of reports and quantitative and qualitative data. In order to answer the research questions, statistical analyses were carried out using IBM SPSS Statistics 25 software, which was used to perform a linear regression analysis by means of the stepwise method. Conclusions: The results obtained in many places confirm previous findings on access to health care services in rural areas of contemporary Poland. The level of medical services provided in many respects causes dissatisfaction of patients. Practical Implications: The research results can be used by institutions in the process of creating a more customized approach to the improving the quality of health care in rural areas. The presented results are important because institutions responsible for health protection they make it possible a more effective change design in the field of management related to health care. Originality/Value: This article presents the possible directions for change in health care system in rural areas.