Describing health service areas: a methodological note on a summary indicator.
This paper describes the development of an indicator of use in the analysis of regional travel patterns for health care services. The indicator is derived using two different models which describe the relationship between utilization and travel distance. Results from both models are compared in terms of their validity, sensitivity and usefulness in describing health service areas and to population-based policy analysis concerned with access-to-care for rural populations.
D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012424:Rural Population; D014195:Travel; D014481:United States