Regional variation of hysterectomy for benign uterine diseases in Switzerland

• Published in: PloS one 2020-05, Vol.15 (5), p.e0233082
• Main Authors: Stoller, Nina, Wertli, Maria M, Zaugg, Tabea M, Haynes, Alan G, Chiolero, Arnaud, Rodondi, Nicolas, Panczak, Radoslaw, Aujesky, Drahomir
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abdomen; Age; Benign; Biology and Life Sciences; Care and treatment; Demographic aspects; Demographics; Density; Disease; Diseases; Fibroids; Gynecology; Health care; Hospital admission and discharge; Hospitals; Hysterectomy; Internal medicine; Laparoscopy; Mathematical analysis; Medical geography; Medical research; Medical treatment; Medicine and Health Sciences; Patients; Preventive medicine; Primary care; Quotients; Regional analysis; Regression analysis; Regression models; Service areas; Social factors; Social Sciences; Socioeconomic data; Socioeconomic factors; Socioeconomics; Surgery; Uterine diseases; Uterus; Vagina; Variation; Women's health; Womens health
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0233082

Hysterectomy is the last treatment option for benign uterine diseases, and vaginal hysterectomy is preferred over more invasive techniques. We assessed the regional variation in hysterectomy rates for benign uterine diseases across Switzerland and explored potential determinants of variation. We conducted a population-based analysis using patient discharge data from all Swiss hospitals between 2013 and 2016. Hospital service areas (HSAs) for hysterectomies were derived by analyzing patient flows. We calculated age-standardized mean procedure rates and measures of regional variation (extremal quotient [EQ], highest divided by lowest rate) and systematic component of variation [SCV]). We estimated the reduction in the variance of crude hysterectomy rates across HSAs in multilevel regression models, with incremental adjustment for procedure year, age, cultural/socioeconomic factors, burden of disease, and density of gynecologists. Overall, 40,211 hysterectomies from 54 HSAs were analyzed. The mean age-standardized hysterectomy rate was 298/100,000 women (range 186-456). While the variation in overall procedure rate was moderate (EQ 2.5, SCV 3.7), we found a very high procedure-specific variation (EQ vaginal 5.0, laparoscopic 6.3, abdominal 8.0; SCV vaginal 17.5, laparoscopic 11.2, abdominal 16.9). Adjusted for procedure year, demographic, cultural, and sociodemographic factors, a large share (64%) of the variance remained unexplained (vaginal 63%, laparoscopic 85%, abdominal 70%). The main determinants of variation were socioeconomic/cultural factors. Burden of disease and the density of gynecologists was not associated with procedure rates. Switzerland has a very high regional variation in vaginal, laparoscopic, and abdominal hysterectomy for benign uterine disease. After adjustment for potential determinants of variation including demographic factors, socioeconomic and cultural factors, burden of disease, and the density of gynecologists, two thirds of the variation remain unexplained.