A nationwide comparison of public and private treatment of Achilles tendon rupture in Finland

Abstract

<h3>Background and Aims:</h3><p>The purpose of this study was to compare the incidence of and treatment methods for Achilles tendon ruptures (ATRs) in public and private healthcare in Finland between 1997 and 2019.</p><h3>Methods:</h3><p>The Finnish National Hospital Discharge Register and the Finnish Register of Primary Health Care Visits were searched to identify all adults diagnosed with ATR in 1997–2019.</p><h3>Results:</h3><p>In the study period, 91% of patients with ATR were treated in the public sector. In public healthcare, the majority of patients were treated nonoperatively (10,997; 40% operative vs 16,303; 60% nonoperative), whereas in the private sector, the majority of the patients were treated operatively (2088; 80% operative vs 514; 20% nonoperative) (P < 0.001).</p><h3>Conclusion:</h3><p>The distribution of public and private treatment for ATRs remained consistent during the follow-up period from 1997 to 2019. In the public sector, treatment methods became significantly more nonoperative during the study period, while no such change was observed in the private sector.</p>