User charges and the demand for acute paediatric traumatology services

The city of Helsinki in 1991 introduced moderate patient charges for certain acute paediatric services. This provided the framework for a natural, partially controlled experiment on price elasticity of demand for acute paediatric trauma services. s-sectional time-series analysis of a partially controlled natural experiment was done for the period 1989–1994. The findings suggest that moderate user charges may reduce the demand for paediatric trauma services measurably. The effect was diagnosis-specific and, on average, stronger in older than in pre-school children. It probably had a negligible impact on long-term health.