Rosella Levaggi, Carmen Marchiori, Michela Marchiori, Raffaele Miniaci
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Can GPs referral reduce the inappropriate use of Emergency Departments (ED)? Our paper allows us to shed some light on this policy relevant issue by exploiting a unique dataset of 38,572 admission records from the province of Trento in 2018. The dataset contains, among other things, specific information on how the decision to visit the ED (i.e., was it the patient's own decision or was the visit based on the advice of their GP) was made. In our data, 10.5 % of the accesses are inappropriate but we find that GP referrals reduce the probability of inappropriate access by 6.5 percentage points on average; the results are robust to changes in parameters and estimation models. From a policy perspective, the analysis suggests that GPs could play a crucial role in reducing overcrowding in EDs and provides quantitative support for the use of fast-tracking GP referrals as a possible management strategy.
期刊介绍：
Social Science & Medicine provides an international and interdisciplinary forum for the dissemination of social science research on health. We publish original research articles (both empirical and theoretical), reviews, position papers and commentaries on health issues, to inform current research, policy and practice in all areas of common interest to social scientists, health practitioners, and policy makers. The journal publishes material relevant to any aspect of health from a wide range of social science disciplines (anthropology, economics, epidemiology, geography, policy, psychology, and sociology), and material relevant to the social sciences from any of the professions concerned with physical and mental health, health care, clinical practice, and health policy and organization. We encourage material which is of general interest to an international readership.
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