title: Measuring access to urban health services using Geographical Information System (GIS): a case study of health service management in Bandar Abbas, Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The current distribution of and access to health services along with the future health needs of the population have prompted wide application of Geographic Information Systems (GISs). During recent years, GIS has been used in public health management for planning and organization of healthcare services. This study investigates geographical accessibility of residential areas in Bandar Abbas, Iran to healthcare services.
  
  
  METHODS
  Accessibility was evaluated by using Floating Catchment Area (FCA), minimum distance methods and Response Time (RT) accessibility technique.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More accurate measures of distances in Bandar Abbas, illustrated that Euclidean distances were not strongly correlated with network distances. The RT accessibility technique that utilizes shortest network path and time distances, presented detailed information about all the possible positions of the patients with respect to available healthcare services based on optimum and critical response times.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Locations of public health services in Bandar Abbas were not related to the sites of populations. The RT accessibility technique provides a reasonably sensitive and robust evaluation of accessibility.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences, Hormozgan University, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Masoodi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.|Food and Cosmetic Health Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahsa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rahimzadeh
mesh_terms: D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D005843:Geography; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D019037:Urban Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*
keywords: Bandar Abbas; Geographic Information System (GIS); Health Services Accessibility; Response Time (RT) Accessibility Technique; Spatial Analysis