Measuring spatial accessibility to primary care in rural areas: Improving the effectiveness of the two-step floating catchment area method |
| |
Authors: | Matthew R. McGrail John S. Humphreys |
| |
Affiliation: | aMonash University, Department of Rural and Indigenous Health, PO Box 973, Moe, Victoria 3825, Australia;bMonash University, Gippsland Medical School, Northways Road, Churchill, Victoria 3842, Australia;cMonash University, School of Rural Health, PO Box 666, Bendigo Central, Victoria 3552, Australia |
| |
Abstract: | Quantifying spatial accessibility in relation to the provision of rural health services has proven difficult. This article critically appraises the two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method, a recent solution for measuring primary care service accessibility across rural areas of Victoria, Australia. The 2SFCA method is demonstrated to have two fundamental shortcomings – specifically the use of only one catchment size for all populations, and secondly the assumption that proximity is undifferentiated within a catchment (especially problematic when the catchment is large). Despite its advantages over simple population-to-provider ratios, the 2SFCA method needs to be used with caution. |
| |
Keywords: | Spatial accessibility Rural health Primary care Service catchment Medical geography |
本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录! |
|