Privatized hospitals linked to worse patient care: Oxford study

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — Hospitals that have been privatized typically deliver worse quality patient care, according to a study by a group of researchers from the University of Oxford.

The research covered 13 longitudinal studies from high-income countries that assessed patient care quality before privatization. Indicators included staffing levels, patient mix, services provided, doctor workload, and patient outcomes like avoidable hospitalizations.

The countries included in the research were Canada, Croatia, England, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Sweden, and the USA.

Published in The Lancet Public Health, the research found no studies that positively affected health outcomes due to the increase in privatization.

The studies revealed that privatized hospitals tend to reduce costs by cutting staff and limiting patients with low insurance coverage. 

Privatization also resulted in a lower cleaning staff-to-patient ratio and, therefore, higher rates of patient infections. Some studies showed that higher levels of privatization correlated with higher avoidable death rates.

“Overall, hospital privatization may reduce costs, but does so at the expense of quality of care,” noted lead author Benjamin Goodair.

However, privatization has led to some benefits, including better patient access, as these hospitals are equipped with out-of-hours telephone call services.

According to co-author Professor Aaron Reeves from the Department of Social Policy and Intervention at the University of Oxford, healthcare systems have turned to privatization as a quick solution to aging populations and a shrinking workforce.

“There is a risk, however, that seeking short-term reductions can come at the expense of long-term outcomes, since outsourcing services to the private sector does not seem to deliver both better care and cheaper care,” Reeves said.