Use of the spatial access ratio to measure geospatial access to emergency general surgery services in California.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Emergency general surgery (EGS) encompasses a spectrum of time-sensitive and resource-intensive conditions, which require adequate and timely access to surgical care. Developing metrics to accurately quantify spatial access to care is critical for this field. We sought to evaluate the ability of the spatial access ratio (SPAR), which incorporates travel time, hospital capacity, and population demand in its ability to measure spatial access to EGS care and delineate disparities.

Methods

We constructed a geographic information science platform for EGS-capable hospitals in California and mapped population location, race, and socioeconomic characteristics. We compared the SPAR to the shortest travel time model in its ability to identify disparities in spatial access o

SUBMITTER: McCrum ML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8068585 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature