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The objective of this study was to explain the variation in cesarean section rates among hospitals (obstetrical departments) in Sweden, and to discuss its potential economic consequences. Using data from The Swedish Medical Birth Registry 1991, we made a cross-sectional study of the cesarean section rate at the departmental level. We identified some 20 determinants, demand-related as well as suppl

Aims: To clarify the frequency and severity of diabetic retinopathy in a group of people with Type 2 diabetes and chronic diabetic foot ulcers, and to compare visual acuity, levels of retinopathy and clinical significant macular oedema with a matched control group of people with Type 2 diabetes without a history of chronic diabetic foot ulcers. Methods: Visual acuity and fundus imaging were evalua

There is mutual agreement that health care should be delivered according to need. In this article, although we employ different specifications for need, we conclude that there is inequity in the delivery of health care in Sweden. Higher income groups visit doctors more often than lower income groups in relation to need, but lower income groups remain in hospital longer once they have been admitted

Purpose: The objective of this study was to investigate what treatment strategies prevail in different countries for patients newly diagnosed with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) or ocular hypertension (OH) only and initiated on treatment with beta-blockers, and to estimate the total direct cost of treatment for two years. In addition, differences in costs between and within the countries and t

This paper investigates the effects of changes in drug therapy on drug expenditure in Sweden between 1990 and 1995. Analyses have been carried out for both the aggregate drug expenditure and for drug expenditure according to the main groups of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system. Changes in expenditure can be divided into 3 components: the price of drugs, the quantity o

Standard price indices may not account for the price decrease that results when patients switch to pharmaceutical products for which their demand-reservation price exceeds the price of the new product. In a similar way, standard price indices may not account for the price increase that results when patients switch to pharmaceuticals for which the reservation price is below the price of the new dru

This paper uses international health expenditure and the latest OECD data to investigate the determinants of aggregate health expenditure. The study differs from most previous studies in two principal ways. First, it uses a somewhat larger sample for estimation, with pooled time-series, cross-section data for 22 OECD countries for a 20-year period. Most previous work has used a purely cross-sectio

This paper presents evidence on income-related inequalities in self- assessed health in nine industrialized countries. Health interview survey data were used to construct concentration curves of self-assessed health, measured as a latent variable. Inequalities in health favoured the higher income groups and were statistically significant in all countries. Inequalities were particularly high in the

This paper tests the null hypothesis of no horizontal inequity in delivery of health care by use of count data hurdle models and Swedish micro data. It differs from most earlier work in three principal ways: First, the tests are carried out separately for physician and hospital care; second, the tests are carried out separately for the probability of seeking care and the amount of care received (g

Expenditure on drugs is increasing rapidly in many countries, and this has led to increased interest in measures to contain drug expenditure. One measure that has been discussed is to increase user charges for prescription drugs. In this article, we consider whether or not raising user charges decreases the consumption of drugs. We also discuss how to judge if increased user charges for drugs are

OBJECTIVES. In clinical studies, it has been found that treating asthmatic patients with inhaled corticosteroids can reduce the need for in-patient care. The purpose of this study was to determine if such a relationship could be observed in available health-care statistics in Sweden and, if such a relationship could be established, what health economic consequences it implied. METHODS. A retrospec

In this note the veil of ignorance approach is tested as a basis for empirically determining the shape of the social welfare function for QALYs. An experiment is carried out where the participants choose between different societies that differ with respect to per capita QALYs and the distribution of QALYs. The answers are analyzed using logistic regression analysis, According to the results the re

It is generally expected that, in environments with pronounced seasonal resource peaks, birds’ reproductive success will be maximised when nestlings’ peak food demand coincides with the timing of high food availability. However in certain birds that stay resident over winter, earlier breeding leads juveniles to join the winter flock earlier, which by the prior residence effect increases their succ

This paper has two purposes. The first is to examine whether increased medication of inhaled corticosteroids by asthmatic patients is correlated with an improvement in asthma control, measured as a reduction in asthma hospitalizations. The other purpose, if such a relationship can be established, is to analyse the economic consequences. Regional data on asthma hospitalization, i.e. number of bed-d

The veil of ignorance approach is tested as a basis for empirically determining the shape of the social welfare function for income. An experiment is carried out where the participants choose between different societies that differ with respect to per capita income and the distribution of income. The answers are analysed using logistic regression analysis. According to the results the respondents

International comparisons of health care expenditure are associated with many different kinds of problems. One type of problem is due to heterogeneous definitions and to difficulties with conversion to common prices. Such problems are present also if one selects homogeneous countries as, for example, the Nordic countries, which have a similar GDP per capita and social system. In this paper we comp

This article measures the impact of the switch to new and more expensive drugs on the aggregate drug expenditure (both prescription and nonprescription) in Sweden during the period 1974 to 1991, and also on the disaggregated expenditure for 3 medical areas: asthma, hypertension and peptic ulcer disease. During the period studied, nominal drug expenditure increased 6-fold. The retail price index of

This study measures the impact of aging on health care expenditure in Sweden in 1970-1985 and the projected impact for 1985-2005. In addition, the distribution of health care expenditure over different age groups is analysed. The study shows that changes in population aging account for barely 13% of the total increase in health care expenditure during the period 1970-1985, and that it is the combi

A measurement experiment regarding willingness to pay for antihypertensive therapy is reported. A new type of binary willingness to pay question is used, that allows for different degrees of certainty with respect to the responses. Mean willingness to pay is derived from a simple expected utility model and estimated using maximum likelihood methods. The estimated parameters are highly significant,

Most experimental and numerical investigations of high-pressure homogenizers assume that the valve is fed with a constant flowrate. However, technical homogenizers use piston pumps with either 3 or 5 pistons (production- and pilot-scale machines) or a single piston (laboratory-scale machines). This results in flow pulsation. It is still unknown to what extent this influences valve hydrodynamics. M