Cross-provincial inpatient mobility patterns and their determinants in China

作者：Jintao Yang, Bin Yan, Shenggen Fan, Zhenggang Ni, Xiao Yan, Gexin Xiao · 发表于：BMC Health Services Research · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1186/s12913-024-11436-8 · 被引用次数：12 · 研究领域：Global Healthcare and Medical Tourism、Healthcare Systems and Reforms、Healthcare Policy and Management

BACKGROUND: The incongruity between the regional supply and demand of healthcare services is a persistent challenge both globally and in China. Patient mobility plays a pivotal role in addressing this issue. This study aims to delineate the cross-provincial inpatient mobility network (CIMN) in China and identify the underlying factors influencing this CIMN. METHODS: We established China's CIMN by applying a spatial transfer matrix, utilizing the flow information from 5,994,624 cross-provincial inpatients in 2019, and identified the primary demand and supply provinces for healthcare services. Subsequently, we employed GeoDetector to analyze the impact of 10 influencing factors-including medical resources, medical quality, and medical expenses-on the spatial patterns of CIMN. FINDINGS: Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu provinces are the preferred medical destinations for cross-provincial inpatients, while Anhui, Henan, Hebei, and Jiangsu provinces are the main sources for cross-provincial inpatients. Patient flow between provinces decreases with distance. The spatial distribution of medical resources, medical quality, and medical expenses account for 87%, 73%, and 56% of the formation of CIMN, respectively. Additionally, interactions between these factors enhance explanatory power, suggesting that considering their interactions can more effectively optimize medical resources and services. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis of CIMN reveals the supply and demand patterns of healthc...