Exploring the growth patterns of medical demand for eye care: a longitudinal hospital-level study over 10 years in China.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The increasing demand for eye care inflicts a heavy burden on the eye care system. The uneven distribution of demand dynamically exacerbates the supply-demand imbalance. Systematic explorations of the growth patterns of the demand for eye care are needed to detect potential influences on the safety and quality of medical services.

Methods

This is an observational longitudinal study at the hospital level. We exported 8 million outpatient visit records over 10 years from the electronic health record (EHR) system of Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center (ZOC). The total visits to all levels of medical institutions in China were collected from the websites of the China National Statistics Bureau. The target 10-year period was from Jan 1, 2008, to Dec 31, 2017. Revisit intervals

SUBMITTER: Yuan M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7723615 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature