Bridging geographical disparities across 368 townships with healthcare system and socioeconomic factors in Taiwan
Abstract A universal health insurance program such as the National Health Insurance in Taiwan offers a wide coverage and increased access to healthcare services. Despite its ongoing efforts to enhance healthcare accessibility, differences in health for people living in urban and resource-deprived ar...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-42124-y |
| _version_ | 1797559943654539264 |
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| author | Chia-Ling Hsieh Chia-Yu Chung Hsin-Yu Chen Shwn-Huey Shieh Ming-Shun Hsieh Vivian Chia-Rong Hsieh |
| author_facet | Chia-Ling Hsieh Chia-Yu Chung Hsin-Yu Chen Shwn-Huey Shieh Ming-Shun Hsieh Vivian Chia-Rong Hsieh |
| author_sort | Chia-Ling Hsieh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract A universal health insurance program such as the National Health Insurance in Taiwan offers a wide coverage and increased access to healthcare services. Despite its ongoing efforts to enhance healthcare accessibility, differences in health for people living in urban and resource-deprived areas remain substantial. To investigate the longitudinal impact of the healthcare system and other potential structural drivers such as education and economic development on geographical disparities in health, we designed a panel study with longitudinal open secondary data, covering all 368 townships in Taiwan between 2013 and 2017. Our findings indicated higher mortality rates in the mountainous and rural areas near the east and south regions of the island in both years. Multivariate analyses showed an increase in the density of primary care physicians (PCP) was associated with lower all-cause mortality (β = − 0.72, p < 0.0001) and cardiovascular disease mortality (β = − 0.41, p < 0.0001). Effect of PCP is evident, but merely focusing on access to healthcare is still not enough. Additional measures are warranted to address the health disparities existing between urban and underprivileged areas. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T17:52:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f89d207bab0d45d4b4c462300553bc59 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T17:52:23Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-f89d207bab0d45d4b4c462300553bc592023-11-20T09:20:15ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-09-0113111010.1038/s41598-023-42124-yBridging geographical disparities across 368 townships with healthcare system and socioeconomic factors in TaiwanChia-Ling Hsieh0Chia-Yu Chung1Hsin-Yu Chen2Shwn-Huey Shieh3Ming-Shun Hsieh4Vivian Chia-Rong Hsieh5Department of Health Services Administration, China Medical UniversityDepartment of Health Services Administration, China Medical UniversityDepartment of Health Services Administration, China Medical UniversityDepartment of Health Services Administration, China Medical UniversityDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taoyuan BranchDepartment of Health Services Administration, China Medical UniversityAbstract A universal health insurance program such as the National Health Insurance in Taiwan offers a wide coverage and increased access to healthcare services. Despite its ongoing efforts to enhance healthcare accessibility, differences in health for people living in urban and resource-deprived areas remain substantial. To investigate the longitudinal impact of the healthcare system and other potential structural drivers such as education and economic development on geographical disparities in health, we designed a panel study with longitudinal open secondary data, covering all 368 townships in Taiwan between 2013 and 2017. Our findings indicated higher mortality rates in the mountainous and rural areas near the east and south regions of the island in both years. Multivariate analyses showed an increase in the density of primary care physicians (PCP) was associated with lower all-cause mortality (β = − 0.72, p < 0.0001) and cardiovascular disease mortality (β = − 0.41, p < 0.0001). Effect of PCP is evident, but merely focusing on access to healthcare is still not enough. Additional measures are warranted to address the health disparities existing between urban and underprivileged areas.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-42124-y |
| spellingShingle | Chia-Ling Hsieh Chia-Yu Chung Hsin-Yu Chen Shwn-Huey Shieh Ming-Shun Hsieh Vivian Chia-Rong Hsieh Bridging geographical disparities across 368 townships with healthcare system and socioeconomic factors in Taiwan Scientific Reports |
| title | Bridging geographical disparities across 368 townships with healthcare system and socioeconomic factors in Taiwan |
| title_full | Bridging geographical disparities across 368 townships with healthcare system and socioeconomic factors in Taiwan |
| title_fullStr | Bridging geographical disparities across 368 townships with healthcare system and socioeconomic factors in Taiwan |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bridging geographical disparities across 368 townships with healthcare system and socioeconomic factors in Taiwan |
| title_short | Bridging geographical disparities across 368 townships with healthcare system and socioeconomic factors in Taiwan |
| title_sort | bridging geographical disparities across 368 townships with healthcare system and socioeconomic factors in taiwan |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-42124-y |
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