Predictors of poor responsiveness in physical rehabilitation centers in Tehran

Responsiveness as a nonmedical, nonfinancial aspect of a health system’s goals requires special attention, particularly in people with physical disabilities. This study aimed to investigate the predictors of poor responsiveness of rehabilitation centers in Tehran.

A cross sectional study was conducted to investigate 610 individuals with physical disabilities who referred to 10 comprehensive rehabilitation centers in Tehran using Quota sampling in 2016-2017. The following questionnaires were used in this study: Health System Responsiveness questionnaire, recommended by World Health Organization (WHO); Activities of Daily Living (ADL); and Instrumental Activity of Daily Living (IADL). Multiple logistic regression models were used to determine the sociodemographic characteristics (sex, age, perceived social class, etc.), self-assessed health, and physical functioning [(eg, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL)] as predictors of poor responsiveness in comprehensive rehabilitation centers of Tehran.

The mean years of education of respondents was 12.57 (SD=5.07). The majority of the participants perceived themselves as belonging to the middle class. Among the participants, 17.1% were completely dependent in their instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Respondents who were not satisfied with their health insurance accounted for 40.2% of the sample. Also, 20.9% of the participants reported poor responsiveness. Based on the logistic regression model, variables of education, perceived social class, satisfaction with health insurance, and IADL were predictors of overall poor responsiveness after adjusting other covariates.

Level of education was a strong predictor of poor responsiveness. Insurance companies should make policies to facilitate people's access to rehabilitation services and increase customer satisfaction. Moreover, rehabilitation service providers should pay special attention to those with physical disabilities who are more severely disadvantaged.