The geographics of patients transfers: the case of an Italian Regional Health System

Abstract

Patients transfers are an essential routine in care supplying and are considered a crucial form of inter-hospital collaboration in any Regional Health System. Previous organizational studies about the phenomenon adopted the resource dependency theory, demonstrating that transfers occur for because resources are not homogenously distributed between hospitals. More recently, it has been observed that patient transfers are driven by complex system of determinants and not only by the lack of resources. This paper, adopting a geographical view, observed that the theoretical lens of proximity are useful to better understand the phenomenon. Analyzing data on the patients transfers between the 35 hospitals of Abruzzo (Italy) Regional Health System through Multiple Regression-Quadratic Assignment Procedure, the study demonstrated that the different dimensions of proximity have a significant impact on the inter-hospitals patients transfers. Policy makers, health care executives and health geographers may take into account these logics in designing the territorial system of care.