Biomaterial Database

Cost structures in a large hospital for the mentally handicapped. 1986

G Johnes, and A Haycox

Health authorities in the U.K. have, in recent years, become increasingly aware of the financial costs of health care provision, and have sought ways in which such costs can be reduced without detriment to the service provided. This study estimates cost functions for the case of a large hospital treating the mentally handicapped. Factors which influence the variation of costs between wards in the same hospital include, inter alia, the age of the residents, the severity of their handicap and the number of residents living on the ward. Costs vary non-linearly with the latter of those variables, and so the possible existence of an optimal ward size emerges. The paper concludes with the estimation of this optimum, together with an examination of factors which might cause the optimal ward size to vary.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D003365	Costs and Cost Analysis	Absolute, comparative, or differential costs pertaining to services, institutions, resources, etc., or the analysis and study of these costs.	Affordability,Analysis, Cost,Cost,Cost Analysis,Cost Comparison,Cost Measures,Cost-Minimization Analysis,Costs and Cost Analyses,Costs, Cost Analysis,Pricing,Affordabilities,Analyses, Cost,Analyses, Cost-Minimization,Analysis, Cost-Minimization,Comparison, Cost,Comparisons, Cost,Cost Analyses,Cost Comparisons,Cost Measure,Cost Minimization Analysis,Cost, Cost Analysis,Cost-Minimization Analyses,Costs,Measure, Cost,Measures, Cost
D004739	England	A part of Great Britain within the United Kingdom.
D006778	Hospitals, Psychiatric	Special hospitals which provide care to the mentally ill patient.	Mental Hospitals,Hospitals, Mental,Mental Institutions,Psychiatric Hospitals,Hospital, Mental,Hospital, Psychiatric,Institution, Mental,Institutions, Mental,Mental Hospital,Mental Institution,Psychiatric Hospital
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000367	Age Factors	Age as a constituent element or influence contributing to the production of a result. It may be applicable to the cause or the effect of a circumstance. It is used with human or animal concepts but should be differentiated from AGING, a physiological process, and TIME FACTORS which refers only to the passage of time.	Age Reporting,Age Factor,Factor, Age,Factors, Age
D001509	Bed Occupancy	A measure of inpatient health facility use based upon the average number or proportion of beds occupied for a given period of time.	Bed Occupancies,Occupancies, Bed,Occupancy, Bed
D013222	State Medicine	A system of medical care regulated, controlled and financed by the government, in which the government assumes responsibility for the health needs of the population.	National Health Service, British,Socialized Medicine,British Health Service, National,British National Health Service,Medicine, Socialized,Medicine, State,Service, British National Health