Factors contributing to delay in seeking healthcare in Holy Family Nursing and Midwifery Training College Berekum

Abstract

Delay in seeking healthcare has many negative effects on patient’s condition and medical cost, and reduces the potential benefits of early interventions. Delay in seeking medical care, which is affected by many factors, is a common global problem. This study aimed to study the reasons why patient’s delay in seeking healthcare.This study adopted a cross-sectional quantitative study conducted among the people of Banda Ahenkro using selfadministered questionnaires. The questionnaire was in four (4) parts. Part, one had closed-ended questions on the socio-demographic information, part two is made closed-ended questions in the form of Likert scale collecting data on the factors that cause delay in seeking healthcare, part three was made up of closed-ended questions on the effects on the delay in accessing healthcare and four consisted of closed-ended questions collecting data on possible interventions.The study involved 61 participants of which 58% were males and 32% were females. The prevalence of delay in seeking healthcare among the respondents were 52% which is high.Thisstudy showed that among Banda Ahenkro community population, there was a high prevalence of delay in seeking medical care 52%. Economic factors and lack of access to health facilities as well as treatment received from health professionals are among the main obstacles in seeking medical care. This high prevalence in delay in seeking healthcare can lead to aggravation of medical condition, increased cost of treatment and lower chances of cure