Equity of access to adult hospice inpatient care within north-west England
| Autor: | D. J. Wood, Anthony C. Gatrell, David Clark |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2004 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
Palliative care Service provision Health Services Accessibility 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Nursing 030502 gerontology Neoplasms Intensive care Information system Humans Medicine Poverty Hospice care Aged Equity (economics) Inpatient care business.industry Hospices General Medicine Middle Aged Hospitalization Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine England North west 030220 oncology & carcinogenesis Geographic Information Systems 0305 other medical science business Needs Assessment |
| Zdroj: | Palliative Medicine. 18:543-549 |
| ISSN: | 1477-030X 0269-2163 |
| DOI: | 10.1191/0269216304pm892oa |
| Popis: | There is a growing debate about the question of equity of access to hospice and palliative care services. Even countries with relatively well developed palliative care systems are considered to have problems of access and inequity of provision. Despite these concerns, we still lack a relevant evidence base to serve as a guide to action. We present an analysis of access to adult hospice inpatient provision in the north-west region of England that employs Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Measures of the possible demand for, and supply of, hospice inpatient services are used to determine the potential accessibility of cancer patients, assessed at the level of small areas (electoral wards). Further, the use of deprivation scores permits an analysis of the equity of access to adult inpatient hospice care, leading to the identification of areas where additional service provision may be warranted. Our research is subject to a number of caveats–it is limited to inpatient hospice provision and does not include other kinds of inpatient and community-based palliative care services. Likewise, we recognise that not everyone with cancer will require palliative care and also that palliative care needs exist among those with nonmalignant conditions. Nevertheless, our methodology is one that can also be applied more generally. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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