Comprehensive can be effective: The influence of coverage with a health centre network on the hospitalisation patterns in the rural area of Kasongo, Zaire
- Publication date
- Publisher
Abstract
This study analyses routine data from Kasongo, Zaire in order to assess the influence of coverage with a network of health centres delivering primary care on hospitalisation patterns. Admission rates are 2.1 times higher for non-covered than for covered areas. For non-justified hospitalisations (false positives) distance decay is marked both in covered and non-covered areas, but at consistently lower levels in covered areas. For justified hospitalisations (true positives), hospitalisation rates are markedly lower in covered than in non-covered areas if one considers areas with reasonable (