11 Jun Research Oriented Hospitals Found To Be More Efficient

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Antonio García-Romero
IE University – IE Business School
Madrid, Spain

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: There is an increasing need for new approaches capable of measuring the “real” effects of research on society. People are interested in knowing what benefits are obtained from scientific research. Our aim in this project was to develop a valid methodology capable of measuring the effects from scientific research on some healthcare outcomes such as the average length of stay in a hospital. Our central hypothesis is that the more research is carried out in hospitals, the more efficient the hospitals are regarding the length of stay (LOS).

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?

Response: We used a sound methodological approach applied to a panel dataset that allows testing causal effects from research to health care outcomes in a robust way.

Our main findings show that increases in the quantity, as well as the quality of research produced in medical (surgical) disciplines, contribute significantly to the reduction of hospital LOS in medical (surgical) specialties.

Remarkably, this effect is greater for hospitals with higher absorptive capacity (high R&D investment and with teaching status). There is also clear evidence that basic research produces efficiency gains in clinical outcomes.

MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Response: We have written the paper thinking on potential readers such us decision makers, healthcare managers, physicians and surgeons, and of course, citizens. We have shown that it is possible to measure the effects of research on societal variables.

We have shown that to carry out both basic and clinical research in hospitals makes hospitals more efficient which, in the end, reduces hospitals LOS. Therefore, to reduce expenditures on research could have substantial adverse economic and welfare effects on the society.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Response: This paper is just a first step in a long way that we are planning to continue in further years evaluating the societal impact of research.

We are going to continue analyzing the effects of research carried out in hospitals on other interesting variables such as patient safety or mortality. For example, regarding the former, in Spain, the Regional Governments are spending around one billion euros per year in compensations for medical errors. We would like to explore to what extent investing in research could reduce such mistakes generating important efficiency gains for the society.

Moreover, we would like to analyze the interaction between research activities and hospitals’ corporate governance to enhance healthcare outcomes.

MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Response: We would like to encourage all Governments and health authorities to open and update their data sets on hospitals to facilitate this kind of studies.

MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.

Citation:

The impact of health research on length of stay in Spanish public hospitals
Antonio García-Romeroa, Álvaro Escribanob, ,Josep A. Tribó l
Research Policy
Volume 46, Issue 3, April 2017, Pages 591–604

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2017.01.006

Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.

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Last Updated on June 12, 2017 by Marie Benz MD FAAD