Giovanni Fattore, Michela Bobini, Francesca Meda, Benedetta Pongiglione, Luca Baldino, Stefano Gandolfi, Licia Confalonieri, Manuela Proietto, Stefano Vecchia, Luigi Cavanna
Life expectancy, quality of life and satisfaction of oncologic patients highly depend on access to adequate specialized services, that consider their conditions in a holistic way. The present study aims to evaluate the introduction of oncology services in an outpatient setting in a mountain village in Northern Italy. The initiative is evaluated using the three pillars of sustainability (social, economic and environmental) as dimensions that are often overlooked by healthcare policy makers. Using micro data on 18,625 interventions, we estimate the number of kilometers saved by patients (reduction of "travel burden" as indicator of social sustainability), the additional travel costs for the NHS (indicator of economic sustainability) and the implied reduction of CO2 emissions (indicator of environmental sustainability)...
February 2, 2024: Health Services Management Research