Volume and diagnosis : an approach to cross-border care in eight European countries
Vallejo, P. (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut Universitari Avedis Donabedian)
Suñol Sala, Rosa (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut Universitari Avedis Donabedian)
Van Beek, B. (European Society for Quality in Healthcare, Limerick, Ireland)
Lombarts, M. J. M. H. (Amsterdam University Medical Center (UMC))
Bruneau, Charles (Haute Autorité de Santé, Paris, France)
Vlcek, Frantisek (Spojená Akreditační Komise, Czech Republic)

Date:	2009
Abstract:	Mobility of patients is a pertinent issue on the European Union's agenda. This study aimed to estimate the volume and main diagnoses of cross-border care in eight European countries, in order to provide policy makers with background information about the nature of patient mobility in Europe. This article reports the combined findings from three independent studies that compiled self-reported information on admissions data and main diagnoses from more than 200 hospitals in eight European countries. The average volume of cross-border patients accounted for less than 1% of total admissions in the hospitals studied here. Diseases of the circulatory system (mainly acute myocardial infarction) and fractures were the most common reasons for hospitalisation of European patients abroad. Deliveries and other diagnoses related to pregnancy, pneumonia, appendicitis and other diseases of the digestive system, aftercare procedures, and disorders of the eye and adnexa were also common diagnoses for this population. Hospitals should reinforce their efforts to adapt the care provided to the needs of foreign patients in treatment areas that cover the most frequent pathologies identified in this population.
Note:	Altres ajuts: MARQuIS/SP21-CT2004-513712
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Published in:	Quality & Safety in Health Care, Vol. 18 (1 2009) , p. i8-i14, ISSN 1475-3901

DOI: 10.1136/qshc.2008.029553
PMID: 19188467

7 p, 128.5 KB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Health sciences and biosciences > Avedis Donabedian Research Institute-UAB
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles