Does Health-Care Consolidation Harm Patients? Evidence from Maternity Ward Closures
(2024) In American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 16(1). p.160-189- Abstract
We study how closures of maternity wards affect maternal and neonatal health. Using data on all hospital births in Sweden between 1990 and 2004, we compare changes in birth-related outcomes across hospital catchment areas that were differently exposed to ward closures. Our findings show that the closures increased maternal obstetric trauma but also decreased fetal stress and infant trauma among newborns. Adverse maternal outcomes are mainly driven by ward overcrowding, whereas increases in travel distance have no distinguishable effects. Positive effects on infant health reflect a shift of births from smaller to larger wards of higher quality.
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https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/860a4097-9284-4d39-a061-ba3231f43e58
- author
- Avdic, Daniel ; Lundborg, Petter LU and VikstrÖm, Johan
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
- volume
- 16
- issue
- 1
- pages
- 30 pages
- publisher
- American Economic Association
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85186945145
- ISSN
- 1945-7731
- DOI
- 10.1257/pol.20200734
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 860a4097-9284-4d39-a061-ba3231f43e58
- date added to LUP
- 2024-04-02 11:36:29
- date last changed
- 2024-04-02 11:37:03
@article{860a4097-9284-4d39-a061-ba3231f43e58, abstract = {{<p>We study how closures of maternity wards affect maternal and neonatal health. Using data on all hospital births in Sweden between 1990 and 2004, we compare changes in birth-related outcomes across hospital catchment areas that were differently exposed to ward closures. Our findings show that the closures increased maternal obstetric trauma but also decreased fetal stress and infant trauma among newborns. Adverse maternal outcomes are mainly driven by ward overcrowding, whereas increases in travel distance have no distinguishable effects. Positive effects on infant health reflect a shift of births from smaller to larger wards of higher quality.</p>}}, author = {{Avdic, Daniel and Lundborg, Petter and VikstrÖm, Johan}}, issn = {{1945-7731}}, language = {{eng}}, number = {{1}}, pages = {{160--189}}, publisher = {{American Economic Association}}, series = {{American Economic Journal: Economic Policy}}, title = {{Does Health-Care Consolidation Harm Patients? Evidence from Maternity Ward Closures}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1257/pol.20200734}}, doi = {{10.1257/pol.20200734}}, volume = {{16}}, year = {{2024}}, }