[Hospital utilization in health areas of the principality of Asturias]

Abstract

In order to examine the characteristics of the use of the hospitals in the Principality of Asturias by the population in several different health areas in which the Autonomous Community is divided, a study of admittances and discharges has been carried out on a sample of 2,321 files out of a total number of files of 14,973. The purpose was to find out the frequency of visits, the attractiveness and the geographical accessibility of the hospitals, as well as some of the factors which modify the flow of patients and which cause disequilibrium between the various areas. We have found important differences in the use of hospitals relating to age, sex, distance from the facility, and the characteristics of the area, which reflect serious intra-regional disequilibrium; there is a tendency towards the most frequent use of facilities among those situated in the central part of the Principality, in a range varying from 1.85 to 3.20 admittances/day by 10E-4. This data can be useful at the present time as there is currently under way a regional health plan for the distribution of hospital resources.