Michael Berger and Judit Simon from the Department of Health Economics (DHE) have published a new original research article in the top journal Health Policy. This joint research, in collaboration with the Austrian National Public Health Institute (Gesundheit Österreich GmbH, GÖG), analyses differences in hospital admissions for depression across municipalities in Austria using spatial regression models. The findings reveal that two key factors influence local admission rates: urbanicity and the proximity to hospital services. This suggests a mismatch between patient needs and mental healthcare service availability with the potential for oversupply in (sub)urban and undersupply for rural populations. To learn more about the policy insights from this research, you can find the full open-access article here:
Berger M, Zuba M, Simon J. Urban-rural disparities in hospital admissions for depression in Austria: A spatial panel data analysis. Health Policy. 2024 (105209) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2024.105209