The geography and economics of forgoing medical examinations or therapeutic treatments in Italy during the economic crisis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In Italy, the number of individuals who have forgone medical examinations or treatments for economic reasons is one of the highest in Europe. During the global economic crisis of 2008, the restrictive policies concerning access to healthcare and the quality of these services, which differs widely throughout the country, may have accentuated the territorial differences in unmet needs, thereby penalizing the more disadvantaged segments of the population. The study aimed at evaluating the geographical and socioeconomic differences, in particular the risk of poverty, that influence forgoing healthcare services in Italy.

Methods

Cross-sectional Italian data from the 2004-2015 European Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) were used. Hierarchical logistic mod

SUBMITTER: Petrelli A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6720380 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature