Nationwide Acute Stroke Care Quality and Disparity in Korea: Focusing on the Type of Healthcare Facilities and the Socioeconomic Status of Patients

Abstract

Background: The quality ofstroke care has a significantimpact onmortality and complications. The purpose ofthisstudy wasto investigate the difference in the quality of acute stroke treatment according to the type of healthcare facility and the socioeconomic status of patients.Methods: Thisstudy used Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service’s Healthcare Quality Assessment for Stroke 2013 data and included 10,399 cases from 201 healthcare facilities. Quality of care was categorized from grade 1 (best group) to grade 5 (worst group) according to performance scores using 10 processindicators.Results: The mean performance score was 91.5. Only 31% of all patients received treatment at grade 1 hospitals while 10% received treatment at grade 3 or lower hospitals. The difference in performance score by the type of healthcare facility existed (tertiary hospitals: 94.3, general hospitals: 88.7).Ofthe 159 general hospitals, 66 hospitals provided grade 3 orlower quality care.NHI patients used more tertiary hospitalsthan MA patients(51% vs. 38%), and MA patientswere more likely to use general hospitals providing grade 3 or lower quality care (11% vs. 21%).Conclusions: This study showed that some general hospitals provided low quality stroke care, and MA patients were more likely to use those hospitals. In order to increase the quality and equity of stroke treatment, a strategy to gather patients at healthcare facilitiesthat provide appropriate medicalservices will be needed.