title: Social Welfare Centers Protect Outpatients with Mood Disorders from Risk of Hospital Admission.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  South Korea faces difficulties in the management of mental disorders, and those difficulties are expected to gradually worsen. Therefore, we analyzed the relationship between social welfare centers and hospital admission after outpatient treatment for mood disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used data from the National Health Insurance Service National Sample Cohort 2002-2013, which included all medical claims filed for the 50,160 patients who were newly diagnosed with a mood disorder among the 1,025,340 individuals in a nationally representative sample. We performed a logistic regression analysis using generalized estimating equation (GEE) models to examine the relationship between social welfare centers and hospital admission after outpatient treatment for mood disorders (ICD-10: F3).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a 3.9% admission rate among a total of 99,533 person-years. Outpatients who lived in regions with more social welfare centers were less likely to be admitted to a hospital (per increase of five social welfare centers per 100,000 people; OR: 0.958; 95% CI: 0.919-0.999). Social welfare centers had an especially strong protective effect on patients with relatively mild mood disorders and those who were vulnerable to medical expenditures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Considering the protective role of social welfare centers in managing patients with mood disorders, health-policy makers need to consider strategies for activating mental healthcare.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Graduate School, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.|Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kyu-Tae
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Graduate School, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.|Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.|Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Suk Yong
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Graduate School of Public Health, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sohee
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Graduate School, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.|Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kyung Hee
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Hospital Management, Eulji University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ki-Bong
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Graduate School, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.|Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Young
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.|Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eun-Cheol
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D005260:Female; D006291:Health Policy; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000191:economics / Q000473:pathology*; D009313:National Health Programs; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010045:Outpatients / Q000523:psychology; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012306:Risk; D012737:Sex Factors; D012946:Social Welfare