Using the Fusion Proximal Area Method and Gravity Method to Identify Areas with Physician Shortages

Autor: Chao Jin, Xiong Xuechen, Haile Chen, Li Luo
Rok vydání: 2016
Předmět:
Geographic information system
Medical Doctors
Computer science
Health Care Providers
Medically Underserved Area
lcsh:Medicine
Distribution (economics)
Economic shortage
Hospital Residents
Health Services Accessibility
Geographical Locations
0302 clinical medicine
Medicine and Health Sciences
030212 general & internal medicine
lcsh:Science
education.field_of_study
Multidisciplinary
Professions
Physical Sciences
Health Resources
0305 other medical science
Research Article
Gravitation
China
Computer and Information Sciences
Asia
Patients
Population
03 medical and health sciences
Data visualization
Physicians
Humans
education
Environmental planning
Health policy
Inpatients
Government
Health Care Policy
030505 public health
business.industry
Data Visualization
lcsh:R
Probability Theory
Probability Distribution
Health Care
People and Places
Geographic Information Systems
Population Groupings
lcsh:Q
business
Mathematics
Zdroj: PLoS ONE, Vol 11, Iss 10, p e0163504 (2016)
PLoS ONE
ISSN: 1932-6203
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0163504
Popis: Objectives This paper presents a geographic information system (GIS)-based proximal area method and gravity method for identifying areas with physician shortages. The innovation of this paper is that it uses the appropriate methods to discover each type of health resource and then integrates all these methods to assess spatial access to health resources using population distribution data. In this way, spatial access to health resources for an entire city can be visualized in one neat package, which can help health policy makers quickly comprehend realistic distributions of health resources at a macro level. Methods First, classify health resources according to the trade areas of the patients they serve. Second, apply an appropriate method to each different type of health resource to measure spatial access to those resources. Third, integrate all types of access using population distribution data. Results In case study of Shanghai with the fusion method, areas with physician shortages are located primarily in suburban districts, especially in district junction areas. The result suggests that the government of Shanghai should pay more attention to these areas by investing in new or relocating existing health resources. Conclusion The fusion method is demonstrated to be more accurate and practicable than using a single method to assess spatial access to health resources.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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