IJERPH, Vol. 16, Pages 5048: Quantification of Similarity Relationships According to Parameters of Day Surgery System (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health)

Performing day surgery should minimise a number of hospitalisation cases, but its use is determined by many factors. It takes advantage of the latest advances in surgical care, enabling better use of highly costly specialised operating room equipment. This analysis of the day surgery system of the Slovak Republic stands on an examination of the five specialised fields—surgery, gynaecology, ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology, and urology. The explored period covers the years 2009 to 2017. The whole analysis is divided into the two sections—the youth category and for the adult category. For each case, a hospitalisation ratio is computed. A map visualisation supports the analysis outcome. A quantification of the similarity relationships between the regions is done according to a Euclidean distance approach and it is illustrated through the heat map. The centremost region is the Zilina Region with distance at a level of 1.9821, meaning that it performs as the most similar region to a development of a hospitalisation ratio in the whole Slovak Republic regarding all the examined aspects. The findings introduce an important platform for a creation of regional and national health plans in the area of healthcare provision for the population of the country.