UTILIZATION PATTERNS OF UNIVERSITY HEALTH SERVICES AMONG THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT STUDENTS

Abstract

Background: Worldwide, a large majority of universities provide primary health care services and eventual referral to more specialized care to their students. The presence of health services on campus can create an environment of safety and support for the students who, particularly at this age, need physical and mental stability to appropriately reach their academic and personal goals. Adequate University Health Services (UHS) can also reduce students’ dropout rates. Published data on utilization of UHS by students is limited. Some studies report under-utilization, and others describe a specific seasonal pattern for health seeking. Objectives: This study aims to calculate the utilization ratios of UHS by university students over a period of three academic years, to identify prevalent conditions for which American University of Beirut (AUB) students consult, to assess monthly and daily trends in health services utilization, and to explore associations between student characteristics and utilization patterns. Methods: This is a descriptive case-series that involved a cohort of AUB students who were beneficiaries of UHS over three academic years between 2015 and 2018. Anonymous data were obtained from the medical records of students on Filemaker. Results: This study of UHS clinics found that the utilization ratio of students at AUB increases with students’ age over time. Each student visited UHS 1.3 times yearly on average. In general, most diagnoses were related to health maintenance, followed by dermatological complaints. Most of the referrals were made to psychiatry, followed by ophthalmology and orthopedics. A seasonal distribution was detected, marked by a higher peak in winter and a lower dip in summer. Medical students, and students of other health-related faculties, had significantly more visits to UHS than students from other faculties. Expenditures on laboratory tests increased over the three academic years. Older age, female gender, and actual number of completed visits were found to be predictors of higher expenditures. Conclusion: A UHS center serves a basic and essential purpose for the health and well-being of students. Beyond its basic curative role, it can provide those students with knowledge and skill necessary to stay healthy in future life. The UHS is also a very important center for training of Primary Health Care (PHC) practitioners, especially Family Medicine (FM) residents. The rotation should be enhanced so that no opportunity for learning is wasted through easy referral or loss of information from data loops that are not well closed. Finally, data accumulated at Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) are important sources to be minded to address several research issues of importance regarding the health of adolescents and young adults.