Abstract
The evaluation of accessibility to healthcare greatly influences public policy. However, existing approaches mainly rely on network topology technology to estimate the driving paths available to healthcare users and the spatial impedances that they may encounter; these approaches do not suffice to represent the real life travel scenarios of urban traffic. This paper proposes a data-driven method to measure healthcare accessibility. The travel records related to visiting a health facility via taxi (VHT) were identified based on the travel destination, and the travel time for each trip was accurately recorded. The spatial interpolation model converts discrete taxi trajectory data into continuous data surfaces, and an improved cumulative accessibility measure method is applied to determine the accessibility to healthcare. A case study using four months of actual Ningbo taxi data shows that the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) is 7.1%, and the root mean square error (RMSE) is approximately 2.57min. The case study results highlight that changes in travel speed over time have a significant impact on accessibility to healthcare facilities. This method measures the spatial impedance encountered by residents visiting medical facilities by capturing real travel scenarios and presenting the methodological implications of evaluating healthcare accessibility.
Highlights
Healthcare is one of the necessities required to maintain a civilized society and a normal quality of life [1]
The planning of regional emergency medical services is aided by the accurate prediction of ambulance journey times and the proper understanding of spatial accessibility to healthcare in residential areas [4]
This paper proposes a data-driven method to measure healthcare accessibility
Summary
Healthcare is one of the necessities required to maintain a civilized society and a normal quality of life [1]. Spatial accessibility to healthcare refers to the ease with which residents of a given area can reach health services or facilities [2]. Evaluating spatial accessibility to healthcare offers critical information for public policymakers, as it allows them to identify residential areas with lower (or higher) access to available healthcare resources. The assessment of spatial inequalities related to access can narrow healthcare gaps and promote universal coverage [3]. The planning of regional emergency medical services is aided by the accurate prediction of ambulance journey times and the proper understanding of spatial accessibility to healthcare in residential areas [4].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
