ArticlePloS one2026
A study on the efficiency and spatial correlation of health resource allocation in Chinese hospitals.
Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThis study quantitatively evaluated the efficiency of hospital healthcare resource allocation across 31 provinces in China from 2019 to 2023, with the aim of providing evidence-based decision support for improving resource utilization efficiency and promoting the sustainable development of medical institutions.
methodsA three-stage Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)-Malmquist model was employed to estimate both static and dynamic efficiency in hospital healthcare resource allocation. Spatial autocorrelation of efficiency was examined using Moran's I to identify regional spatial dependence patterns.
resultsThe average comprehensive efficiency of healthcare resource allocation in Chinese hospitals was below 1, indicating substantial room for improvement in overall efficiency, though an overall upward trend was observed during the study period. After controlling for environmental factors, the mean comprehensive efficiency declined from 0.858 to 0.827, suggesting that external environmental conditions influenced actual efficiency to some extent. Dynamic analysis indicated that technical efficiency was the primary constraint on total factor productivity growth. In regional comparisons, after accounting for environmental factors, the efficiency ranking shifted from the original pattern of eastern > central > western to a temporary order of central > eastern > western. Spatial analysis indicated a significant positive spatial correlation in resource allocation efficiency. A stable high-efficiency cluster persisted in the region south of the Yangtze River, while low-efficiency clusters had largely dissipated by 2023, reflecting a convergence trend of provincial efficiency levels toward the efficiency frontier.
conclusionsHospital efficiency in China exhibits a distinct east-to-west gradient. However, after adjusting for environmental heterogeneity, the central region temporarily outperformed the eastern region, highlighting the confounding effects of external factors. Robust spatial spillover effects were observed. Policy interventions should therefore prioritize targeted efficiency improvements in low-efficiency cold-spot provinces over mere input expansion. The bias-corrected efficiency scores and spatial clustering patterns provide a validated benchmark for national and regional health resource planning.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.