Factors contributing to patients’ delay in seeking healthcare services at St Padre Pio health centre III, Mityana district. A descriptive cross-sectional study.
Keywords:
Patients’ delay, seeking healthcare services, St. Padre Pio health centre IIIAbstract
Background: In Uganda, healthcare access is affected by a combination of patient-related, socioeconomic, and health facility-related factors. This study therefore aimed to determine the factors contributing to patients’ delay in seeking healthcare services at St Padre Pio Health Centre III, Mityana District.
Methods: The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional study design where a simple random sampling technique was used to obtain a sample of 45 respondents. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analysed using Microsoft Excel, with results presented in tables, figures, and pie charts.
Results: Majority of respondents, 16 (36%), were aged 20–29 years, 28 (62%) were female, and 24 (53%) resided in rural areas. 20 (44%) reported that they usually waited and observed symptoms before seeking care, 18 (40%) believed illnesses would go away on their own, and 18 (40%) were not confident in knowing when to seek medical attention. 20 (44%) of respondents had no source of income, 18 (40%) said healthcare was hard to afford, and 28 (62%) paid out-of-pocket for services. 20 (44%) reported that limited healthcare resources always affected their decision to seek care, 22 (49%) were affected by poor cleanliness, and 20 (44%) indicated that long waiting times always caused them to delay seeking care.
Conclusion: Patients’ delay in seeking healthcare services was influenced by poor recognition of illness severity, cultural beliefs, financial constraints, and inadequacies in health facility resources such as long waiting times, frequent referrals, and poor cleanliness.
Recommendation: Targeted interventions including health education, financial support mechanisms, and improvements in health facility infrastructure are recommended to reduce delays in healthcare seeking.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Lydia Aseru, Nelson Kakande, Donatus Kimera, Jane Frances Namuddu (Author)
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