Accessibility to healthcare : a geographical review

Abstract

The aim of this study is to use a Geographic Information System (GIS) approach to demonstrate the extent to which patients within the catchment area of Floriana Health Centre vary in their geographical access to services, and to analyze the extent to which barriers to accessibility, notably, distance and age, effect accessibility to healthcare. This study also examines patient access regarding availability and accessibility of primary healthcare as well as travel behaviour patterns. The methodology includes questionnaires with patients at the health centre. Data was analyzed to determine patient and travel characteristics. Accessibility is a geographic dimension and thus it can be applied in quantitative methods to examine the relationship between health services and patients. This study uses GIS mapping to depict poor healthcare accessibility by locating population groups within Floriana's service area that have unmet healthcare needs due to physical distance and transportation. The results indicate that there are variations in geographical accessibility within the catchment area, and these differences are dependent upon the characteristics of patients, such as age, mobility, and reliance on public and private transport. The results suggest that more attention needs to be paid to extending the spatial information base in primary care, in order to achieve more effective planning of services for disadvantaged populations and to understand better the relationship between healthcare providers and consumers.