The EU Member States’ national healthcare systems compared using the single synthetic index

Maciej Jankowiak

doi:10.18559/ebr.2021.2.4

Abstract

Implementation of health protection requires effective quantitative methods of its evaluation. Assessment could be based on usage of synthetic indices which aggregate couple input variables into a single measure. In this paper, the exploitation of a new synthetic index (by the author called HAI—the Healthcare Aggregated Index) was proposed with the aim of the assessment and long-term interstate comparisons of healthcare systems of the EU countries. Using taxonomic methodology, HAI involves three variables: the number of hospital beds, the number of physicians and the public expenditures on healthcare. HAI utilisation includes dynamic interstate comparisons of national healthcare systems of the different exploitations of human, physical and financial resources. The HAI application to assessment of twenty European Union Member States’ healthcare systems revealed an effect of substitution between healthcare resources within the slight international differentiation of the health protection level and the minor dynamic of changes in time series.

Highlights

International quantitative and comparative studies have been becoming an important part of area of international economics and entrepreneurship research (Głodowska, 2019; Manera, Navinés, & Franconneti, 2017; Pera, 2016)
The assessment based on quantitative methods of data analysis is useful for planning and managing healthcare and for international comparisons of healthcare sys
Simple indicators could cover the area of health infrastructure, financing of healthcare or health status of population

Summary

Introduction

International quantitative and comparative studies have been becoming an important part of area of international economics and entrepreneurship research (Głodowska, 2019; Manera, Navinés, & Franconneti, 2017; Pera, 2016). The assessment based on quantitative methods of data analysis is useful for planning and managing healthcare and for international comparisons of healthcare sys-. There are lots of simple indicators quantitatively describing narrow aspects of healthcare (Zahid, Poulsen, Sharma, & Wingreen, 2021; van Biesen et al, 2021; Mousa, 2018). The solution could be a single aggregated index which enables the inclusion of a wide range of information originating from a variety of simple indicators in one grouping. Synthetic indexes based on the methodology of the numerical taxonomy could be used in order to obtain an aggregated information from different sources among others (Leuschner, 1991; Rothenberg et al, 2015; Fagigh & Sazegar, 2019). Synthetic indexes might be employed in international comparisons of healthcare systems as well (Jankowiak, 2011)

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Discussion

Conclusion