Fikriye Yilmaz

Delayed use of healthcare services among the urban poor in Turkey

Purpose – Poor people often experience a delay in meeting their healthcare needs due to their economic situation. As a result, delayed diagnoses and treatment may increase disease severity, increase the risk of death, and enhance disease transmission in the community. The purpose of this paper is to provide important information about health service delays among the poorest people in Turkey.Design/methodology/approach – A field study is conducted among the 92 poorest households in the Etimesgut region of Ankara in order to ascertain any delays in health services among the poor, as well as the factors related to those delays.Findings – The results of the study show that 87 percent of the households lived on a daily income of US

Effects of early life factors on the health and quality of life of older adults

2.15, and that household members delay seeking healthcare services an average of 4.66±1.17 times in the past year. Reasons for delaying or not seeking healthcare services included the following: participants thought they would get better without doing anything (7.6 percent), by usi...

The validity and reliability of a Turkish version of the Poverty-Related Quality of Life (PQoL) questionnaire

Few studies on the effects of early life factors on the health and quality of life of adults have been conducted in Turkey. We aimed to investigate the effects of early life factors on the health and quality of life of older adults.

PMH70 TURKISH CULTURAL ADAPTATION AND VALIDATION OF THE ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE SCALE

Abstract Measuring poverty in health care settings may help to identify patients living in poverty and also support development of appropriate policies to reduce health inequalities. The objective of this study was to translate the Poverty-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire into Turkish and then test its validity and reliability for a Turkish patient population. The psychometric properties of the scale were examined by collecting data from 300 patients in emergency departments in three randomly selected hospitals in Ankara, Turkey. The results of the study suggest that the Turkish version of the Poverty-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire has satisfactory validity and reliability.

PIH63 TURKISH CULTURAL ADAPTATION AND VALIDATION OF GLASGOW HEALTH STATUS INVENTORY

transferred from one point of care to the next with treatment continuation potentially being delayed. 88 providers of care (60 institutions), 30 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and 17 patients diagnosed with depression were surveyed through indepth interviews. The total number of questions was 56 for providers, and 54 questions for patients. RESULTS: A total of 56% of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (mean age 45 years, mean duration of illness 16 years) experience waiting times when transferred to an outpatient rehabilitation center, 50% while being transferred to an institution of assisted working or to a place of sheltered living (33%). Patients diagnosed with major depression (mean age 45 years; mean duration of illness 13 years) experience waiting times when transferred to an institution of assisted working (63%), to an outpatient rehabilitation center (57%) or to a psychotherapist (56%). Providers experience waiting times when they transfer patients to psychotherapists (55%). a total of 40% of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and 58% of patients diagnosed with major depression perceive waiting times as heavily constraining, affecting their treatment and care, and potentially leading to a setback in their treatment progress. Providers see capacity constraints as main reason for waiting times. CONCLUSIONS: This study describes waiting times in coordination of mental health care between different providers as a problem. Potential negative effects on treatment success show the need for optimization.

Kronik Hastalığı Olan Yaşlı Bireylerde İlaç İnancının ve Tedaviye Uyumun Değerlendirilmesi

PIH63 TURKISH CULTURAL ADAPTATION AND VALIDATION OF GLASGOW HEALTH STATUS INVENTORY Oksuz E, Malhan S, Tekin R, Yilmaz F, Baytar S Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey OBJECTIVES: The Glasgow Health Status Inventory, (GHSI) measures the effect of a health problem on the quality of life of a person and allows cross-comparison among many health conditions, among different health interventions, and among demographic and cultural subgroups. The GHSI contains 18 health status questions, which ask specifi c questions about how the health problem has affected their quality of life. This study aims to adapt the GHSI into Turkish culture and check the reliability and validity of the inventory culturally. METHODS: The original instrument was translated and back translated by two independent translators. a small sample consisting of 40 people was used to check the initial comprehension and factibility. Cronbach’s Alfa was used to assess reliability and factor analysis to assess dimensionality. The EuroQol questionnaire and corresponding Visual Analogue Scales were used for concurrent validity. RESULTS: A total of 163 people participated in this study. 52% of them were female, 48% of them were male. Mean age was 24.3. The internal consistency coeffi cient (Cronbach’s alpha) of GHSI was 0.86. Factor analysis of the scale revealed that it was composed of four factors with Eigenvalues >1.0, accounting for 62.2 % of the total variance. Correlations were moderate with EuroQol and VAS. CONCLUSIONS: The culturally adapted GHSI has good validity and reliability, making it a potentially useful outcome measure in the determining the effect of health problems on the quality of life of people in Turkey.