Utilization of the Health Care Services of the University of Baguio

by
Paulina G. Boc, RMN
Janice Kaylyn K. Lonogan, EdD
Rhoda B. Galangco, EdD

ABSTRACT

This descriptive-survey research studied the utilization of the health care services of the University of Baguio by determining the extent of awareness and to extent which the employees and students avail of these health care services. Further, it looked into the extent of satisfaction of the respondents and the problems they encounter when they avail of the services. Only employees who have served for more than one year in the University were requested to answer the questionnaire. Part-time faculty members and contractual employees were not included as respondents. A sample of 1,120 out of the 1,982 graduating college students was taken using the Slovin’s formula at 2% margin of error. The University of Baguio offers free and discounted medical and ancillary health care services to the employees and the students. However, due to a weak information dissemination campaign by the clinics, both the employees and the students are slightly aware of their services. The clinic personnel are not invited to talk about their services during the orientation of new employees and Social Orientation of students and they do not circulate communications informing the school community of their activities and services other than the schedule of annual physical examination employees and students are required to undergo. Consequently, the employees and the students do not avail of these health care services. The employees who availed of the services are very much satisfied in the following: medical examination, first aid treatment, suturing of wounds, dressing of wounds, taking of body temperature, taking of blood pressure, height measurement, weighing, taking of pulse rate, hematology and pregnancy test. For the students, they were very much satisfied in the following: medical examination, first aid treatment, suturing of wounds, dressing of wounds, taking of body temperature, taking of blood pressure, height measurement, weighing, taking of heart rate, taking of pulse rate, vaccination, oral prophylaxis, community dentistry and blood donation. The problems encountered by the employees and students are related to the reasons for the low utilization of the health care services. The respondents signified that they find the quantity of medication given, the attitude of personnel and student assistants in the clinic, the number of clienteles being served, and expensive referrals as problematic.

Source: UB Research Journal, Vol. XXXII, No. 1, January – June 2008