Measuring concentration in primary care.
There is evidence that patient choice and the quality of service delivery in primary care can be influenced by the organisation and structure of provision at the local level. However, the formal measurement of structure in primary care has yet to be undertaken. Using data for Coventry, standard concentration measures are estimated, which show that concentration varies considerably across the city and tends to be higher in areas of lower deprivation. Assuming that patient choice is an important consideration in health care planning, concentration measurement may provide a useful tool for health authorities in making decisions about GP numbers, practice mergers and re-location.
Whynes
D K
DK
School of Economics, University of Nottingham, UK. david.whynes@nottingham.ac.uk
Thornton
P
P
D002391:Catchment Area, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018672:Community Health Planning; D004465:Economic Competition; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008389:Marketing of Health Services / Q000379:methods; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D011204:Poverty Areas; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011365:Professional Practice Location; D013222:State Medicine; D006113:United Kingdom; D019037:Urban Health Services; D000078329:Workforce