The current availability of neurological in-patient services in post-communist central and eastern European countries.
OBJECTIVE
Limited information can be obtained as to the availability of neurological in-patient services in the former communist countries of Eastern and Central Europe. The objective was to analyse data received directly from representatives of the particular countries.


METHODS
The data were collected under the auspices of the 'First European Cooperation Neurology Workshop' held in April 2000, in Trest, Czech Republic. Neurologists from 15 post-communist countries provided information from their respective countries. Linear trends in graphs including the reliability value R(2) were used in the analysis of correlations.


RESULTS
Data from 14 countries were assembled and trends were analysed.


CONCLUSIONS
Direct relationships were found between: (1) the average department size and the average catchment area (R(2) = 0.1015); (2) the percentage of districts with a neurological in-patient department and the gross national product (GNP) per capita (R(2) = 0.1359); (3) the average neurological department size and the GNP per capita (R(2) = 0.1135), and (4) the average length of treatment and the number of neurological beds/100,000 inhabitants (R(2) = 0.1745). Inverse relationships were found between: (1) the number of neurological beds/100,000 inhabitants and the average hospital catchment area (R(2) = 0.2105), and (2) the number of neurological beds/100,000 inhabitants and the GNP per capita (R(2) = 0.1144).
Herzig
Roman
R
Clinic of Neurology, Faculty Hospital, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
Kalvach
Pavel
P
Petkova
Valentina
V
Vuković
Vlasta
V
Tsakadze
Nina L
NL
Bereczki
Daniel
D
Tuta
Sorin
S
Martiníková
Martina
M
Rot
Uros
U
Xhaxho
Sokrat
S
Sidorovich
Emiliya
E
Rand
Viiu-Marika
VM
Zaborski
Jacek
J
Gavriliuc
Mihail
M
Reminyak
Inna V
IV
D003148:Communism / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004467:Economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005061:Europe, Eastern; D006276:Health Facility Size / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D009462:Neurology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors