The Issues of Healthcare-Associated Infections — The Economic and Social Perspective

The aim of the paper was to diagnose and analyse the rates of infections in Polish voivodships, and possible consequences from both economic and social perspectives of the changes in the levels of cases reported. For the analyses, data banks of Central Statistical Office in Warsaw were used, in particular, information on the incidence of infectious diseases and poisonings. The rates of changes and spatial concentration of the phenomena were investigated in the period between 2005 and 2015. For estimates of regional trends, the Shift-Share Analysis was adopted, and the pattern of spatial distribution was defined on the basis of location quotients. Extreme values of location quotients were observed in Warmińsko-Mazurskie for shigellosis, in Lubuskie for trichinellosis, and for AIDS in Dolnośląskie. Location quotient values allowed identifying regions with a higher spatial concentration of infectious diseases incidences, which in turn could indicate areas and cases where preventive actions should be improved or modified. The Shift-Share Analysis resulted in pointing out regions that recorded a positive change in infection rates. The obtained results also demonstrated that in some cases, the impact of structural changes influences the net rates of infections more than the local components. The obtained results directly indicated objects (regions) where attention should be paid to prevention. Especially, the results of spatial distribution and concentration allowed a reliable analysis of the state of population incidence rates, as well as answered questions concerning the origin of rates whether the change derived from structural, local or overall tendencies. Results could be adopted, for instance, in preventive strategies of local governments. The estimates might be beneficial from the perspective of the healthcare system, due to easier predictive scenarios of future infection and possible centres with the increase in incidence.