Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37550672›Full record

ArticleBMC health services research2023

Performing up to Nordic principles? Geographic and socioeconomic equity in ambulatory care sensitive conditions among older adults in capital areas of Denmark, Finland and Sweden in 2000-2015.

Markku Satokangas, Martti Arffman, Janne Agerholm, Karsten Thielen, Charlotte Ørsted Hougaard, Ingelise Andersen, Bo Burström, Ilmo Keskimäki

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Article in BMC health services research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Markku SatokangasHealth Economics and Equity in Health Care, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O. Box 30, 00271, Helsinki, Finland. markku.satokangas@thl.fi.
Martti ArffmanHealth Economics and Equity in Health Care, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O. Box 30, 00271, Helsinki, Finland.
Janne AgerholmDepartment of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Karsten ThielenSection of Social Medicine, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Charlotte Ørsted HougaardSection of Social Medicine, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Ingelise AndersenSection of Social Medicine, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Bo BurströmDepartment of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Ilmo KeskimäkiHealth Economics and Equity in Health Care, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O. Box 30, 00271, Helsinki, Finland.

Funding

Academy of Finland 277939NordForsk 74637Strategic Research Council 336325Suomen Lääketieteen Säätiö 2273
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDenmark, Finland and Sweden pursue equity in health for their citizens through universal health care. However, it is unclear if these services reach the older adult population equally across different socioeconomic positions or living areas. Thus, we assessed geographic and socioeconomic equity in primary health care (PHC) performance among the older adults in the capital areas of Denmark (Copenhagen), Finland (Helsinki) and Sweden (Stockholm) in 2000-2015. Hospitalisations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC) were applied as a proxy for PHC performance.

methodsWe acquired individual level ACSCs for those aged ≥ 45 in 2000-2015 from national hospitalisation registers. To identify whether the disparities varied by age, we applied three age groups (those aged 45-64, 65-75 and ≥ 75). Socioeconomic disparities in ACSCs were described with incidence rate ratios (IRR) and annual rates by education, income and living-alone; and then analysed with biennial concentration indices by income. Geographic disparities were described with biennial ACSC rates by small areas and analysed with two-level Poisson multilevel models. These models provided small area estimates of IRRs of ACSCs in 2000 and their slopes for development over time, between which Pearson correlations were calculated within each capital area. Finally, these models were adjusted for income to distinguish between geographic and socioeconomic disparities.

resultsCopenhagen had the highest IRR of ACSCs among those aged 45-64, and Helsinki among those aged ≥ 75. Over time IRRs decreased among those aged ≥ 45, but only in Helsinki among those aged ≥ 75. All concentration indices slightly favoured the affluent population but in Stockholm were mainly non-significant. Among those aged ≥ 75, Pearson correlations were low in Copenhagen (-0.14; p = 0.424) but high in both Helsinki (-0.74; < 0.001) and Stockholm (-0.62; < 0.001) - with only little change when adjusted for income. Among those aged ≥ 45 the respective correlations were rather similar, except for a strong correlation in Copenhagen (-0.51, 0.001) after income adjustment.

conclusionsWhile socioeconomic disparities in PHC performance persisted among older adults in the three Nordic capital areas, geographic disparities narrowed in both Helsinki and Stockholm but persisted in Copenhagen. Our findings suggest that the Danish PHC incorporated the negative effects of socio-economic segregation to a lesser degree.

Indexed as

Ambulatory Care Sensitive ConditionsIncomeAgedAmbulatory CareDenmarkFinlandHumansSocioeconomic FactorsSwedenEquity in health careGeographic disparitiesHealth service researchInternational comparisonNordic countriesPrimary health careRegister-based studySocioeconomic disparities

Identifiers

PMID37550672
PMCPMC10405465

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