The Economic Crisis and Acute Myocardial Infarction: New Evidence Using Hospital-Level Data.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

This research sought to assess whether and to what extent the ongoing economic crisis in Italy impacted hospitalizations, in-hospital mortality and expenditures associated with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods

The data were obtained from the hospital discharge database of the Italian Health Ministry and aggregated at the hospital level. Each hospital (n = 549) was observed for 4 years and was geographically located within a "Sistema Locale del Lavoro" (SLL, i.e., clusters of neighboring towns with a common economic structure). For each SLL, the intensity of the crisis was determined, defined as the 2012-2008 increase in the area-specific unemployment rate. A difference-in-differences (DiD) approach was employed to compare the increases in AMI-related outc

SUBMITTER: Torbica A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4648494 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature