User charges and the demand for acute paediatric traumatology services

The city of Helsinki in 1991 introduced moderate patient charges for certain acute paediatric services. This provided the framework for a natural, partially controlled experiment on price elasticity of demand for acute paediatric trauma services. A cross-sectional time-series analysis of a partially...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Public health (London) 1998-09, Vol.112 (5), p.327-329
Main Authors: Ahlamaa-Tuompo, J, Linna, M, Kekomäki, M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Age Distribution
Ambulatory Care - economics
Ambulatory Care - statistics & numerical data
Ambulatory Care - utilization
Child
Child Health Services - economics
Child Health Services - statistics & numerical data
Child Health Services - utilization
Child, Preschool
Cross-Sectional Studies
Emergencies
Finland - epidemiology
Health Services Needs and Demand - economics
Health Services Needs and Demand - statistics & numerical data
Humans
Incidence
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Wounds and Injuries - epidemiology
Wounds and Injuries - therapy
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Summary:The city of Helsinki in 1991 introduced moderate patient charges for certain acute paediatric services. This provided the framework for a natural, partially controlled experiment on price elasticity of demand for acute paediatric trauma services. A cross-sectional time-series analysis of a partially controlled natural experiment was done for the period 1989-1994. The findings suggest that moderate user charges may reduce the demand for paediatric trauma services measurably. The effect was diagnosis-specific and, on average, stronger in older than in pre-school children. It probably had a negligible impact on long-term health.
ISSN:0033-3506
DOI:10.1016/S0033-3506(98)00264-9