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One for all? Assessing the quality of Italian hospital care with the “benefit of the doubt” composite indicator methods

Author

Listed:
  • Francesco Vidoli

    (University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Department of Economics, Society and Politics)

  • Giacomo Pignataro

    (University of Catania, Department of Economics and Business
    Politecnico di Milano, Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering)

  • Sebastiano Battiato

    (University of Catania, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science)

  • Francesco Guarnera

    (University of Catania, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science)

  • Calogero Guccio

    (University of Catania, Department of Economics and Business)

Abstract

Quality assessment in healthcare systems is challenging due to the multidimensional nature of healthcare services. This study evaluates the overall quality provided by hospitals using composite indicators under the Benefit of the Doubt (BoD) approach, which determines the weights of the indicators with minimal assumptions. We used data from 2015-2020 for Italian Local Health Authorities (LHAs) for 21 outcome measures, applying various non-parametric methods to address aggregation and weighting challenges. Our results show that the BoD measures are robust and effectively capture the dynamics of the quality of LHA, even during external shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This research highlights the importance of methodological choices in the construction of composite indicators and demonstrates the effectiveness of the BoD approach in providing a comprehensive measure of healthcare quality.

Suggested Citation

  • Francesco Vidoli & Giacomo Pignataro & Sebastiano Battiato & Francesco Guarnera & Calogero Guccio, 2024. "One for all? Assessing the quality of Italian hospital care with the “benefit of the doubt” composite indicator methods," Health Economics Review, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 1-17, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:hecrev:v:14:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1186_s13561-024-00559-7
    DOI: 10.1186/s13561-024-00559-7
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cherchye, Laurens & Knox Lovell, C.A. & Moesen, Wim & Van Puyenbroeck, Tom, 2007. "One market, one number? A composite indicator assessment of EU internal market dynamics," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 51(3), pages 749-779, April.
    2. Giannis Karagiannis & Alexander Sarris, 2005. "Measuring and explaining scale efficiency with the parametric approach: the case of Greek tobacco growers," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 33(s3), pages 441-451, November.
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