Determinants influencing the use of non-reimbursed services among mothers of infants

Introduction:
In Poland, despite the extensive range of healthcare services financed by public funds through the National Health Fund, there is a growing presence of private medical entities in the healthcare market. These facilities offer a wide range of non-reimbursed medical services, which are gaining popularity. One of the largest groups utilizing these services consists of mothers seeking to ensure the best possible development for their children.

Material and methods:
The factors motivating mothers to use paid medical services were examined among 243 women using an author’s survey questionnaire and the Polish adaptation of the Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI). The study analysed socio-demographic factors, obstetric factors, the mother’s clinical condition, participation in prenatal education and health anxiety.

Results:
Nearly half of the surveyed women (44.63%) reported that their reason for using paid health services for their child was to expand diagnostic assessments to ensure that their child’s development was progressing correctly. However, only 35.54% of women pursued additional diagnostics due to a specific medical issue. The second most frequently cited reason for using additional services was excessive waiting time for examinations covered by the National Health Fund or unavailability of certain services. Furthermore, women with higher education levels, higher economic status and women attending prenatal education were more likely to opt for additional examinations. Young mothers also did not exhibit a high level of health anxiety.

Conclusions:
The study demonstrated that mothers choose additional medical services because they consider the National Health Fund offerings to be insufficient. Their choices depend on education level, economic status and participation in prenatal classes. The decisions to pursue additional diagnostics is primarily motivated by concern for their child’s health and development.