Measuring Access to Pediatric Care in Japan
Author Information
Author(s): Tanimura Susumu, Shima Masayuki
Primary Institution: Hyogo College of Medicine
Hypothesis
The study aims to standardize the measurement of inequality in geographic accessibility to pediatric care.
Conclusion
The study demonstrates that standardizing the inequality measure allows for better comparison of geographic accessibility to pediatric care across regions.
Supporting Evidence
- The mean travel time to pediatric care was found to be 4.50 minutes.
- The observed inequality measure averaged 1.1, indicating varying access across regions.
- Standardization of the inequality measure reversed the ranks of accessibility among regions.
Takeaway
This study looks at how far children have to travel to see a doctor and finds a way to compare this across different areas to make sure everyone gets fair access to care.
Methodology
Travel times to the nearest pediatric care were calculated for all children in Oita Prefecture, and the inequality measure was standardized using Monte Carlo simulation based on complete spatial randomness.
Potential Biases
The study does not account for variations in travel modes and assumes car travel for all individuals, which may underestimate travel times for those using public transport or walking.
Limitations
The study assumes that children will go to the nearest pediatric facility, which may not always be true due to personal preferences or other factors.
Participant Demographics
Children aged 0-14 years in Oita Prefecture, Japan.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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