| 英文摘要 |
Background and purpose: With the amendment of National Health Insurance (NHI) Act in 2011, prisoners are eligible for NHI coverage as Type D insurants. The study aimed at assessing the changes in prisoners’ medical seeking behaviors, satisfaction with medical care, and selfperceived health status before and after their enrollment in NHI. Methods: The study adopted a self-administered structured questionnaire to survey prisoners who had medical experiences both before and after enrollment in NHI in two prisons in northern Taiwan. Systematic sampling with quota sampling were applied, and SPSS statistic software were used for data analysis. Results: A total of 1178 valid questionnaires were collected from April to November, 2014. Major results revealed an increase after NHI enrollment, in the frequency of seeking medical help, in the number of prisoners free from any worry, in the degree of overall satisfaction with the provided medical service, and in the number of prisoners rating “good” and “very good” in terms of selfperceived health status. The number of prisoners worrying about medical expense and medical quality, as well as that of prisoners in fear of failing to receive proper medical care due to the lack of needed medical specialists, appeared to decline. Conclusion: The quality of medical care in prisons undergoes improvement after the coverage of prisoners in NHI. Prisoners now enjoy easier access to more adequate treatment. In addition, a rise has been observed in the degree of patient satisfaction, their self-perceived health status and the frequency of seeking medical help. It is therefore obvious that rendering prisoners eligible for NHI coverage not only ensures their rights to medical care but also improve their health in general. The study results can be expected to serve as reference for related policyadjustment and advocacy. |
