Abstract
This study examines the variations in the use of inpatient care that can be explained by travel distance among patients with schizophrenia living in Taiwan. Data were drawn from the Psychiatric Inpatient Medical Claims Database. We used mediation analysis and multilevel analysis to identify associations. Travel distance did not significantly account for lower readmission rates after an index admission, but significantly explained the longer length of stay of an index admission by 9.3 days (P < 0.001, 85% of variation) between remote and non-remote regions. Policies are discussed aimed at reducing the impact of travel distance on rural mental health care through inter-disciplinary collaboration and telepsychiatry.
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Acknowledgements
We wish to thank the National Health Research Institute and the Bureau of National Health Insurance of Taiwan for generously providing the data for the analysis. Dr. S. V. Subramanian is supported by the National Institutes of Health Career Development Award (NHLBI K25 HL081275).
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Tseng, KC., Hemenway, D., Kawachi, I. et al. Travel Distance and the Use of Inpatient Care among Patients with Schizophrenia. Adm Policy Ment Health 35, 346–356 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-008-0175-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-008-0175-x