Evaluating the Reasons for Patients Visiting to Primary Health Centres in Sivagangai District, Tamilnadu, India

Abstract

Primary Health Centres (PHCs) are the cornerstone of rural health care in India, providing preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative services. Understanding why patients seek care at PHCs is essential for tailoring services, optimizing resource allocation, and improving health outcomes. This study evaluates the reasons patients visit PHCs in Sivaganga district, Tamil Nadu, with the aim of identifying service gaps and informing local health policy. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted across a representative sample of PHCs in Sivaganga district between [dates]. A systematic random sample of adult patients attending outpatient services was interviewed using a pretested structured questionnaire covering sociodemographic characteristics, presenting complaints, reasons for choosing PHC (accessibility, cost, trust, referral, emergency care, immunization, maternal-child services, chronic disease management etc.), perceived quality of care, travel time and cost, and prior service utilization. Data were entered and analyzed using descriptive statistics to determine frequency distributions and chi-square tests to examine associations between reasons for visit and demographic variables. Ethical clearance and informed consent were obtained prior to data collection.