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Erschienen in: Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift 7-8/2014

01.04.2014 | main topic

Differences in access points to the ambulatory health care system across Austrian federal states

verfasst von: Kathryn Hoffmann, MD, MPH, Katharina Viktoria Stein, PhD, Thomas Ernst Dorner, MD, MPH

Erschienen in: Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift | Ausgabe 7-8/2014

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Summary

Background

The nine Austrian regions differ according to demographic parameter, health status, and health care structure. It was the aim of this study to analyse whether there are also differences in access points towards the level of ambulatory care.

Method

The Austrian Health Interview Survey (2006–2007) data with 15,474 participants were used for this cross-sectional analysis. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics as well as multivariate logistic regression models and correlations.

Results

There were significant differences in patients with direct utilisation of specialists without having consulted a general practitioner (GP) in the same period in the Austrian regions, with highest proportions for women in Vorarlberg (20.3 %) and men in Vienna (21.5 %) and lowest in Burgenland (7.0 and 6.6 %, respectively). The specialist/GP ratio correlated significantly with the direct specialist utilisation (Spearman correlation coefficient: 0.717).

Conclusion

There are spatial differences in the health care utilisation within the Austrian regions, which partly can be explained by the disposal of health care structure. These findings are of special importance according to the ongoing debate concerning the topic strengthening the primary health care sector in Austria.
Fußnoten
1
It was not possible to build the variable EU28 countries which would be correct since the 1st of July 2013 because of preclustered data in the original database.
 
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Metadaten
Titel
Differences in access points to the ambulatory health care system across Austrian federal states
verfasst von
Kathryn Hoffmann, MD, MPH
Katharina Viktoria Stein, PhD
Thomas Ernst Dorner, MD, MPH
Publikationsdatum
01.04.2014
Verlag
Springer Vienna
Erschienen in
Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift / Ausgabe 7-8/2014
Print ISSN: 0043-5341
Elektronische ISSN: 1563-258X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10354-014-0267-z

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