Long-Term Trends and Predictors of Medical Resource Utilization and Medical Outcomes in Inguinal Hernia Repair: A Nationwide Cohort Study

Background Few studies have comprehensively and systematically analyzed nationwide samples. This study purposed to explore temporal trends and predictors of medical resource utilization and medical outcomes in these patients to obtain data that can be used to improve healthcare policies and to support clinical and administrative decision-making. Methods This study used nationwide population data contained in the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database of Taiwan. The 14,970 inguinal hernia repair patients were enrolled in this study (age range, 18–100 years) from 1997 to 2013 in Taiwan. After temporal trends analysis of demographic characteristics, clinical characteristics, and institutional characteristics, predictors of postoperative medical resource utilization and medical outcomes were evaluated through multiple linear regression analysis and Cox regression analysis. Results The prevalence of inguinal hernia repair per 100,000 population significantly decreased from 195.38 in 1997 to 39.66 in 2013 ( p