ArticlePloS one2020
Regional disparities in health care resources in traditional Chinese medicine county hospitals in China.
Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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14 citing papers in PubMed.
- Efficiency and spatial equity of healthcare resource allocation in traditional Chinese medicine hospitals in China (2012-2023).BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Challenges in the distribution of community pharmacists in depopulated areas in Japan.Journal of rural medicine : JRM · 2026Article
- Regional disparities, dynamic evolution, and spatial spillover effects of medical resource allocation efficiency in TCM hospitals.Cost effectiveness and resource allocation : C/E · 2025Article
- Characteristics and Related Factors of Chinese Herbal Medicine Use in Middle-Aged and Older Patients with Cardiovascular Disease in China: A Cross-Sectional Study.Patient preference and adherence · 2025Article
- Measuring the inequalities in healthcare resource in facility and workforce: A longitudinal study in China.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Equity and prediction of health resource allocation of traditional Chinese medicine in China.PloS one · 2023Article
- Research on the equity of health resource allocation in TCM hospitals in China based on the Gini coefficient and agglomeration degree: 2009-2018.International journal for equity in health · 2022Article
- Impact of multidisciplinary chronic disease collaboration management on self-management of hypertension patients: A cohort study.Medicine · 2022Article
- Perceived Quality of Traditional Chinese Medicine Care in Community Health Services: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Hangzhou of China.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2022Article
- Epidemiology of Sepsis-Associated Acute Kidney Injury in Beijing, China: A Descriptive Analysis.International journal of general medicine · 2021Article
- Understanding variations and influencing factors on length of stay for T2DM patients based on a multilevel model.PloS one · 2021Article
- Regional Disparities of Rehabilitation Resources for Persons with Disabilities in China: Data from 2014 to 2019.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Equity and Efficiency of Health Resource Allocation of Chinese Medicine in Mainland China: 2013-2017.Frontiers in public health · 2020Article
- Measuring Productivity and Relative Efficiency of Public Tertiary Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospitals in Hubei, China.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financingArticle
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4 authors.
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Abstract
objectiveWe aimed to analyze regional disparities of health care resources in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) county hospitals and their time trends, and to assess the changes of regional disparities before and after 2009 health care reforms.
methodsWe used hospital-based, longitudinal data from all TCM county hospitals in China between 2004 and 2016. To measure the key development features of TCM county hospitals, data were collected on government hospital investment, hospital numbers (the average number of TCM hospitals per county), hospital scale (the number of medical staff and hospital beds) and doctors' workload (the daily visits and inpatient stays per doctor). We used segmented linear regression to test the time trend for outcome variables. We set a breakpoint at 2011, dividing the pre-reform (2004-2011) and post-reform (2012-2016) periods.
resultsAfter the 2009 health reforms, TCM hospitals continued to display large disparities in the number, scale, and doctors' workload across the three regions. In the pre-reform period, yearly government subsidies for TCM hospitals in western area were roughly RMB0.6 million (US$89 thousand) more than those in central and eastern region, which increased under the 2009 reforms to roughly RMB2 million (US$298 thousand) more per yer in post-reform period. These increased subsidies saw an increase in the number of TCM hospitals in the western area, partly addressing regional disparities. But there was no improvement in the regional disparities in terms of scale (number of beds) and the doctors' workload (daily outpatient visits and inpatients per doctor) increased or remained unchanged between the western and other regions.
conclusionAlthough TCM hospital number, scale, and doctors' workload increased over the past 13 years, substantial regional disparities remained. The 2009 health reforms did not significantly change the regional disparities in health care resources, especially between the eastern and western regions.
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