Income and Regional Policies Affecting Breast Cancer Surgery in Spain
Author Information
Author(s): Ridao-López Manuel, García-Armesto Sandra, Abadía-Taira Begoña, Peiró-Moreno Salvador, Bernal-Delgado Enrique
Primary Institution: Instituto Aragonés de Ciencias de la Salud
Hypothesis
Does the socioeconomic status of healthcare areas influence the use of conservative versus non-conservative breast cancer surgery?
Conclusion
The place where a woman lives, including income level and regional policies, explains the high variation in the use of conservative breast cancer surgery.
Supporting Evidence
- Higher economic and educational levels in healthcare areas correlate with increased rates of conservative surgery.
- Areas with lower socioeconomic status show higher rates of non-conservative surgery.
- The study analyzed a large sample of 81,868 breast cancer surgeries to assess variations.
Takeaway
Where you live can change the type of breast cancer surgery you get, with richer areas getting more conservative surgeries.
Methodology
An ecologic descriptive study analyzing 81,868 mastectomies across 180 healthcare areas from 2002 to 2006, using small area statistics and multilevel analyses.
Potential Biases
Potential selection bias due to only including public hospital data and possible misclassification of surgical procedures.
Limitations
The study's ecological design limits conclusions about individual access to healthcare based on economic levels.
Participant Demographics
Female population over 15 years old in 180 healthcare areas across 16 Autonomous Communities in Spain.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Confidence Interval
CI 95%: 16.9%-58.2%
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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