從國際比較探討台灣醫院病床數

目標：為瞭解我國醫院病床數在國際之水準，乃探討世界各國病床人口比之相關因素，以提供台灣政策制定參考。方法：採衛生署統計室、內政部統計處、世界衛生組織、世界銀行、經齊合作暨發展組織、世界各國紀實年鑑及聯合國教育、科學與文化組織等網站之統計資料，進行分析。結果：依世界衛生組織醫院病床定義，我國2004年底每萬人口病床數48.38床，國際排名第48名。以逐步迴歸分析世界各國資料，顯示60歲以上人口百分比、15歲以上男性識字率、嬰兒死亡率與各國每萬人口病床數呈顯著正相關，「國民醫療保健支出(NHE)佔國內生產毛額(GDP)比例」呈顯著負相關，校正後解釋力(Adj R^2)為76.9%，均方誤差(MSE)為0.037，依此估計台灣所需病床數為每萬人口43.54床(95%CI: 37.26~50.89)。結論：我國病床數已達國際水準。未來病床資源的規劃，應考量人口、教育、健康、經齊、現有病床使用效率、醫療科技發展、以及社區資源開發程度等因素。

關鍵字

醫院病床；病床；人口老化；國際比較

並列摘要

Objectives: To compare the number of hospital beds in Taiwan on an international basis and use the results as a reference point for government policy making. Methods: We investigated factors related to the number of hospital beds per 10,000 population through international comparison. The data for analysis was collected from statistical reports of the Department of Health, Ministry of the Interior, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the World Factbook, and the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture. Results: According to the World Health Organization's hospital bed definition, the number of hospital beds per 10,000 population in Taiwan in 2004 was 48.38. The ranking was 48 among 141 countries. Stepwise regression analysis showed that the number of hospital beds per 10,000 population was positively associated with the percentage of population aged over 60 years, the male literacy rate for those above 15 years old, infant mortality rate, and was negatively associated with National Health Expenditure (NHE) as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP, adjusted R^2: 76.9%; MSE: 0.037). The predicted value of hospital beds per 10,000 population in Taiwan was 43.54 (95%CI: 37.26~50.89). Conclusions: From the perspective of international comparison, hospital beds per 10,000 population is sufficient in Taiwan. For planning hospital beds as a resource, a variety of factors should be considered simultaneously. These include population, education, health and economic indicators as well as utilization patterns, the development of medical techniques, and the development of community care.