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The effect of public hospital closure on the death of long-term inpatients in Korea
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Taeuk Kang, Minsung Sohn, Changwoo Shon
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Epidemiol Health. 2024;46:e2024022. Published online January 17, 2024
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2024022
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 Abstract
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES
This study aimed to examine the changes in health outcomes and the patterns of medical institution utilization among patients with long-term stays in public hospitals following the closure of a public medical center. It also sought to present a proposal regarding the role of public hospitals in countries with healthcare systems predominantly driven by private entities, such as Korea.
METHODS To assess the impact of a public healthcare institution closure on health outcomes in a specific region, we utilized nationally representative health insurance claims data. A retrospective cohort study was conducted for this analysis.
RESULTS An analysis of the medical utilization patterns of patients after the closure of Jinju Medical Center showed that 67.4% of the total medical usage was redirected to long-term care hospitals. This figure is notably high in comparison to the 20% utilization rate of nursing hospitals observed among patients from other medical facilities. These results indicate that former patients of Jinju Medical Center may have experienced limitations in accessing necessary medical services beyond nursing care. After accounting for relevant mortality factors, the analysis showed that the mortality rate in closed public hospitals was 2.47 (95% confidence interval, 0.85 to 0.96) times higher than in private hospitals.
CONCLUSIONS The closure of public medical institutions has resulted in unmet healthcare needs, and an observed association was observed with increased mortality rates. It is essential to define the role and objectives of public medical institutions, taking into account the distribution of healthcare resources and the conditions of the population.
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Summary
Korean summary
본 연구는 사회보험제도를 기반으로 하고 있는 한국의 상황에서 지방의 공공의료기관 폐쇄가 환자들의 건강에 어떠한 영향을 미쳤는지를 확인하고자 국민건강보험 청구자료를 기반으로 후향적코호트 자료를 구축하여 분석을 시행하였다.
연구결과 장기 입원 환자의 67.4%가 장기요양병원을 의료를 이용하였고, 이는 비교집단의 장기요양 이용비율인 20% 수준보다 3배 가량 높은 수치로, 의료이용에 일부 제약이 발생하였을 가능성을 시사하는 것이다.
폐업 후 1년 이내 사망률을 비교한 결과, 인근지역 내 민간병원 환자와 비교하여 공공의료기관 입원환자의 사망확률은 2.67배였고, 의료급여 수급권자들의 사망확률은 고소득 5분위에 비해 2.24배 높은 것으로 나타났다.
Key Message
Even in Korea's healthcare system with high medical accessibility, adverse health impacts have been observed due to the closure of public healthcare institutions. Systematic policy development is necessary to evaluate essential medical service provision and allocate medical resources comprehensively.
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