[Use of healthcare services by elderly people in a local health authority in Varese (Italy)].
Older people use more healthcare than younger people and aging of the population is considered to be one of the main factors leading to consumption of healthcare resources. The aim of this study was to evaluate rates of hospitalization, use of out-patient services and medicine confections among the elderly population (>65 years) in the local health authority of Varese (Italy), in the three-year period from 2003-2005, and to calculate the trend for the years 2006 and 2007. Rates of hospitalization and drug use remained stable while use of out-patient services showed an increasing trend. In spite of the influence of aging on consumption of healthcare resources, the use of medical services is determined mainly by the health state of the population: monitoring of the burden of morbidity in the population should therefore be improved.
Pisani
Salvatore
S
Dipartimento Programmazione, Acquisto e Controllo, ASL della Provincia di Varese. epidemiol@asl.varese.it
Leoni
Olivia
O
Manfredi
Luca
L
Bonarrigo
Domenico
D
Gambino
Maria
M
Oria
Cristina
C
Prandini
Beatrice
B
Soma
Renato
R
Banfi
Fabio
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007558:Italy; D008875:Middle Aged