12:00 PM - 12:15 PM
[HTT16-06] Evaluation of accessibility to outpatient treatment in the context of everyday life
★Invited Papers
Keywords:Outpatient treatment , Spatial accessibility, Medical department
While high usage of outpatient treatment is one of the characteristics of the Japanese healthcare system, spatial accessibility to outpatient treatment in Japan has not been given much attention compared to inpatient treatment, for which a considerable accumulation of research exists both in Japan and in other countries. On the other hand, the importance of daily primary care provided as outpatient treatment in clinics has been increasing considering the super-aging of Japanese society. Further, since medical care plans that local governments settle under the Medical Care Act regulate only locations of hospitals, accessibility to clinics, which play an essential role in providing outpatient treatment, may have larger spatial variability than that to hospitals.
This research thus focuses on accessibility to outpatient treatment and evaluates it by multiple measures reflecting our needs and use of healthcare in everyday life. Spatial accessibility to medical facilities, including both clinics and hospitals, is first measured based on network distances under different scenarios about transportation modes and patients’ ages. Generally, studies on spatial accessibility to primary care deal with family doctors and/or general practitioners, but in Japan, such systems are not mature. Therefore, this research examines the availability of various medical departments as a proxy measure representing whether a patient has access to needed treatment. In addition, the variety of medical facilities of a particular department is also examined as a proxy measure representing whether a patient can choose one that he/she prefers. Once computing those measures for census small areas, this research investigates their spatial variability and relationships with demographic characteristics of the small areas, which to some extent represent healthcare needs.
This research thus focuses on accessibility to outpatient treatment and evaluates it by multiple measures reflecting our needs and use of healthcare in everyday life. Spatial accessibility to medical facilities, including both clinics and hospitals, is first measured based on network distances under different scenarios about transportation modes and patients’ ages. Generally, studies on spatial accessibility to primary care deal with family doctors and/or general practitioners, but in Japan, such systems are not mature. Therefore, this research examines the availability of various medical departments as a proxy measure representing whether a patient has access to needed treatment. In addition, the variety of medical facilities of a particular department is also examined as a proxy measure representing whether a patient can choose one that he/she prefers. Once computing those measures for census small areas, this research investigates their spatial variability and relationships with demographic characteristics of the small areas, which to some extent represent healthcare needs.