The importance of sense of community on people's perceptions of their health-care experiences

OBJECTIVES. The authors study the relationship between people's sense of community and problems they experience with the health-care system, specifically problems related to cost, access, provider choice, and satisfaction. METHODS. Data from a 1993 Florida poll (n = 1202) was used to conduct a multinomial legit analysis to estimate people's sense of community as a function of 13 characteristics and perceptions of community. Legit analysis was used to estimate the relationship between people's sense of community and their health-care experiences, controlling for other demographic influences, including insurance coverage and self-reported health status. RESULTS. Lower sense of community was significantly associated with higher levels of choice, cost, and satisfaction problems in people's interactions with the health-care sector. CONCLUSIONS. Community quality needs to be considered in efforts to improve the functional capabilities of health-care institutions.