1
|
Wang X, Liu Z. Navigating Aged Care Services with GIS: Trends, Developments, and Future Directions. BMC Geriatr 2024; 24:243. [PMID: 38468239 PMCID: PMC10926560 DOI: 10.1186/s12877-024-04799-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND With the growing challenge of an aging population, emerging technologies are increasingly being integrated into the production, organization, and delivery of aged care services. Geographic Information System (GIS), a computer-based tool for spatial information analysis and processing, has made significant strides in the allocation of care recources and service delivery for older adults, a notably vulnerable group. Despite its growing importance, cross-disciplinary literature reviews on this theme are scare. This scoping review was conducted to encapsulate the advancements and discern the future trajectory of GIS applications in aged care services. METHODS A comprehensive search across nine databases yielded 5941 articles. Adhering to specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, 61 articles were selected for a detailed analysis. RESULTS The 61 articles span from 2003 to 2022, with a notable increase in publications since 2018, comprising 41 articles (67% of the total) published between 2018-2022. Developed countries contributed 66% of the papers, with 45% focusing on accessibility issues. In the domain of aged care services, GIS has been predominantly utilized for model construction, mapping, and site selection, with a growing emphasis on addressing the unique needs of different subgroups of older adults. CONCLUSION The past two decades have seen substantial growth in the application of GIS in aged care services, reflecting its increasing importance in this field. This scoping review not only charts the historical development of GIS applications in aged care services but also underscores the need for innovative research approaches. Future directions should emphasize the integration of GIS with diverse methodologies to address the heterogeneous needs of older adults and improve the overall delivery of aged care services. Such advancements in GIS applications have the potential to significantly enhance the efficiency, accessibility, and quality of care for the aging population.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xuehan Wang
- School of Public Administration, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410004, China
| | - Zhihan Liu
- School of Public Administration, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410004, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zheng LX, Walsh EI, Sutarsa IN. Provision of health services for elderly populations in rural and remote areas in Australia: A systematic scoping review. Aust J Rural Health 2023; 31:805-825. [PMID: 37469118 DOI: 10.1111/ajr.13016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Although various studies have examined availability, access barriers and patient experiences of rural health services for the ageing population, no synthesis of this literature exists in Australia. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to examine the current literature surrounding rural service provision and to evaluate the barriers to access for older individuals and to recognise gaps in the literature. DESIGN A systematic scoping review of peer-reviewed literature from three online databases (PUBMED, SCOPUS and Web of Science). FINDINGS Thirty-two papers were included in analysis. The most prominent types of health service discussed were residential aged care (n = 12) and community health care (n = 10). More studies explored the perspectives of health personnel than the service end users. Qualitative synthesis revealed three themes associated with health service and rural ageing: access to services, health workforce experiences and end user experiences. DISCUSSION Access to health services for the elderly population is a complex issue. Promoting positive experiences for both health providers and patients is critical to assisting in healthy ageing for people living in rural and remote areas. This requires intervention on a social and institutional level. Key research gaps in the literature include the effectiveness of an integrated approach to institutional interventions, utilisation of preventative measures such as screening programs for cancer and greater identification of the health needs and perceptions among culturally diverse elderly residents. These studies are critical to promote appropriate and patient-centred care for elderly populations in rural and remote areas. CONCLUSION The review highlights the need to address availability, retention and service innovations across health services to improve access to care and health outcomes of rural elderly residents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ling Xiao Zheng
- School of Medicine and Psychology, College of Health and Medicine, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Erin I Walsh
- Population Health Exchange (PHXchange), National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, College of Health and Medicine, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - I Nyoman Sutarsa
- Rural Clinical School, School of Medicine and Psychology, The Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
- Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, Denpasar, Indonesia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Belanger C, Carr K, Peixoto C, Bjerre LM. Distance, access and equity: a cross-sectional geospatial analysis of disparities in access to primary care for French-only speakers in Ottawa, Ontario. CMAJ Open 2023; 11:E434-E442. [PMID: 37192769 DOI: 10.9778/cmajo.20220061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although language concordance between patients and primary care physicians results in better quality of care and health outcomes, little research has explored inequities in travel burden to access primary care people of linguistic minority groups in Canada. We sought to investigate the travel burden of language-concordant primary care among people who speak French but not English (French-only speakers) and the general public in Ottawa, Ontario, and any inequities in access across language groups and neighbourhood ruralities. METHODS Using a novel computational method, we estimated travel burden to language-concordant primary care for the general population and French-only speakers in Ottawa. We used language and population data from Statistics Canada's 2016 Census, neighbourhood demographics from the Ottawa Neighbourhood Study, and collected the main practice location and language of primary care physicians from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. We measured travel burden using Valhalla, an open-source road-network analysis platform. RESULTS We included data from 869 primary care physicians and 916 855 patients. Overall, French-only speakers faced greater travel burdens than the general population to access language-concordant primary care. Median differences in travel burden were statistically significant but small (median difference in drive time 0.61 min, p < 0.001, interquartile range 0.26-1.17 min), but inequities in travel burden between groups were larger among people living in rural neighbourhoods. INTERPRETATION French-only speakers in Ottawa face modest - but statistically significant - overall inequities in travel burden when accessing primary care, compared with the general population, and higher inequities in specific neighbourhoods. Our results are of interest to policy-makers and health system planners, and our methods can be replicated and used as comparative benchmarks to quantify access disparities for other services and regions across Canada.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Belanger
- Institut du Savoir Montfort (Belanger, Peixoto, Bjerre); Ottawa Neighbourhood Study (Belanger, Carr), and Department of Family Medicine (Bjerre), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont
| | - Kady Carr
- Institut du Savoir Montfort (Belanger, Peixoto, Bjerre); Ottawa Neighbourhood Study (Belanger, Carr), and Department of Family Medicine (Bjerre), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont
| | - Cayden Peixoto
- Institut du Savoir Montfort (Belanger, Peixoto, Bjerre); Ottawa Neighbourhood Study (Belanger, Carr), and Department of Family Medicine (Bjerre), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont
| | - Lise M Bjerre
- Institut du Savoir Montfort (Belanger, Peixoto, Bjerre); Ottawa Neighbourhood Study (Belanger, Carr), and Department of Family Medicine (Bjerre), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Wood SM, Alston L, Beks H, Mc Namara K, Coffee NT, Clark RA, Wong Shee A, Versace VL. The application of spatial measures to analyse health service accessibility in Australia: a systematic review and recommendations for future practice. BMC Health Serv Res 2023; 23:330. [PMID: 37005659 PMCID: PMC10066971 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-023-09342-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Australia's inequitable distribution of health services is well documented. Spatial access relates to the geographic limitations affecting the availability and accessibility of healthcare practitioners and services. Issues associated with spatial access are often influenced by Australia's vast landmass, challenging environments, uneven population concentration, and sparsely distributed populations in rural and remote areas. Measuring access contributes to a broader understanding of the performance of health systems, particularly in rural/remote areas. This systematic review synthesises the evidence identifying what spatial measures and geographic classifications are used and how they are applied in the Australian peer-reviewed literature. METHODS A systematic search of peer-reviewed literature published between 2002 and 2022 was undertaken using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology. Search terms were derived from three major topics, including: [1] Australian population; [2] spatial analysis of health service accessibility; and [3] objective physical access measures. RESULTS Database searches retrieved 1,381 unique records. Records were screened for eligibility, resulting in 82 articles for inclusion. Most articles analysed access to primary health services (n = 50; 61%), followed by specialist care (n = 17; 21%), hospital services (n = 12; 15%), and health promotion and prevention (n = 3; 4%). The geographic scope of the 82 articles included national (n = 33; 40%), state (n = 27; 33%), metropolitan (n = 18; 22%), and specified regional / rural /remote area (n = 4; 5%). Most articles used distance-based physical access measures, including travel time (n = 30; 37%) and travel distance along a road network (n = 21; 26%), and Euclidean distance (n = 24; 29%). CONCLUSION This review is the first comprehensive systematic review to synthesise the evidence on how spatial measures have been applied to measure health service accessibility in the Australian context over the past two decades. Objective and transparent access measures that are fit for purpose are imperative to address persistent health inequities and inform equitable resource distribution and evidence-based policymaking.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Wood
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Deakin Rural Health, Deakin University, Warrnambool Campus, PO Box 423, Warrnambool, VIC, 3280, Australia.
| | - Laura Alston
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Deakin Rural Health, Deakin University, Warrnambool Campus, PO Box 423, Warrnambool, VIC, 3280, Australia
- Research Unit, Colac Area Health, Colac, Vic, Australia
| | - Hannah Beks
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Deakin Rural Health, Deakin University, Warrnambool Campus, PO Box 423, Warrnambool, VIC, 3280, Australia
| | - Kevin Mc Namara
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Deakin Rural Health, Deakin University, Warrnambool Campus, PO Box 423, Warrnambool, VIC, 3280, Australia
- Grampians Health, Ballarat, Vic, Australia
| | - Neil T Coffee
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Deakin Rural Health, Deakin University, Warrnambool Campus, PO Box 423, Warrnambool, VIC, 3280, Australia
- University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Robyn A Clark
- Caring Futures Institute, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Anna Wong Shee
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Deakin Rural Health, Deakin University, Warrnambool Campus, PO Box 423, Warrnambool, VIC, 3280, Australia
- Grampians Health, Ballarat, Vic, Australia
| | - Vincent L Versace
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Deakin Rural Health, Deakin University, Warrnambool Campus, PO Box 423, Warrnambool, VIC, 3280, Australia
- Grampians Health, Ballarat, Vic, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Lyle G, Hendrie D. Predicting general practitioner utilisation at a small area level across Western Australia. Aust J Prim Health 2019; 25:570-576. [PMID: 31747536 DOI: 10.1071/py19084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Equitable delivery of GP services is a key goal in universal healthcare systems. In Australia, information to evaluate equitable delivery is limited, especially at finer geographic scales, leaving an information void that needs to be filled to inform, prioritise and target interventions. To fill this void, GP utilisation was estimated by combining responses on GP utilisation from a national survey differentiated by demographic and area-based socioeconomic and remoteness characteristics with similar characteristics represented geographically at a fine scale. These estimates were then compared to actual GP utilisation to evaluate their predictive reliability. Comparable estimates were found in the greater metropolitan area, with 76% of areas having estimated GP utilisation within ±10% of actual utilisation. Larger discrepancies were found as areas became remoter, with 84% of areas reporting estimated utilisation that was higher than actual utilisation. Comparing the geographic differences between estimated and actual utilisation allowed us to examine the reliability of our methodology. Given the identified limitations, a proxy for GP utilisation at a small area level can be created, a dataset that is not currently published at this geography. This approach has the potential to be applied Australia-wide, providing another valuable tool to evaluate the equitable delivery of primary health care nationally.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Greg Lyle
- School of Public Health, Curtin University, Bentley Campus, Perth, WA 6102, Australia; and Corresponding author.
| | - Delia Hendrie
- School of Public Health, Curtin University, Bentley Campus, Perth, WA 6102, Australia
| |
Collapse
|