No abstract

Background: Many European governments have abundantly cut down public expenditure on health during the financial crisis. Consequences of the financial downturn on health outcomes have begun to emerge.The recession has also driven structural reforms, and affected the priority given to public policies. The purpose of this paper is to analyse how austerity impacts health in Spain and better understand the response of European health systems to the financial crisis.Material and methods: Prospective study of 206 patients over a period of two years. Was evaluated various pharmacological and invasive treatments and medical outcomes in Chronic Pain Unit depending on the patient's income level.Results: The economic situation of the patient is statistically significantly correlated with the success of medical treatment (p = 0.01) and the occurrence of various adverse effects in relation to medical treatment (p < 0.01). Results provide strong evidence of a statistically significant negative effect of the financial crisis on health trends.Conclusions: Policy decisions about how to respond to economic crises have pronounced and unintended effects on public health. The governance and leadership find ways to mitigate its effects.