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Car travel time and accessibility by bus to general practitioner services: a study using patient registers and GIS

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  • Lovett, Andrew
  • Haynes, Robin
  • Sünnenberg, Gisela
  • Gale, Susan

Abstract

Accessibility to general practitioner (GP) surgeries was investigated in a population study of East Anglia (Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk) in the United Kingdom. Information from patient registers was combined with details of general practitioner surgery locations, road network characteristics, bus routes and community transport services, and a geographical information system (GIS) was used to calculate measures of accessibility to surgeries by public and private transport. Outcome measures included car travel times and indicators of the extent to which bus services could be used to visit GP surgeries. These variables were aggregated for wards or parishes and then compared with socio-economic characteristics of the populations living in those areas. The results indicated that only 10% of residents faced a car journey of more than 10Â min to a GP. Some 13% of the population could not reach general medical services by daily bus. For 5% of the population, the car journey to the nearest surgery was longer than 10Â min and there was no suitable bus service each weekday. In the remoter rural parishes, the lowest levels of personal mobility and the highest health needs indicators were found in the places with no daytime bus service each weekday and no community transport. The overall extent of accessibility problems and the existence of inverse care law effects in some rural localities have implications for the NHS, which aims to provide an equitable service to people wherever they live. The research also demonstrates the potential of patient registers and GIS as research and planning tools, though the practical difficulties of using these data sources and techniques should not be underestimated.

Suggested Citation

  • Lovett, Andrew & Haynes, Robin & Sünnenberg, Gisela & Gale, Susan, 2002. "Car travel time and accessibility by bus to general practitioner services: a study using patient registers and GIS," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 55(1), pages 97-111, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:55:y:2002:i:1:p:97-111
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    Cited by:

    1. Xiaofang Pan & Mei-Po Kwan & Lin Yang & Shunping Zhou & Zejun Zuo & Bo Wan, 2018. "Evaluating the Accessibility of Healthcare Facilities Using an Integrated Catchment Area Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-21, September.
    2. Shinjo, Daisuke & Aramaki, Toshiharu, 2012. "Geographic distribution of healthcare resources, healthcare service provision, and patient flow in Japan: A cross sectional study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(11), pages 1954-1963.
    3. Shunsuke Doi & Hiroo Ide & Koichi Takeuchi & Shinsuke Fujita & Katsuhiko Takabayashi, 2017. "Estimation and Evaluation of Future Demand and Supply of Healthcare Services Based on a Patient Access Area Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-15, November.
    4. Robin Haynes & Andrew Lovett & Gisela Sünnenberg, 2003. "Potential Accessibility, Travel Time, and Consumer Choice: Geographical Variations in General Medical Practice Registrations in Eastern England," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 35(10), pages 1733-1750, October.
    5. Salonen, Maria & Toivonen, Tuuli, 2013. "Modelling travel time in urban networks: comparable measures for private car and public transport," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 143-153.
    6. Yao, Jing & Murray, Alan T. & Agadjanian, Victor, 2013. "A geographical perspective on access to sexual and reproductive health care for women in rural Africa," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 60-68.
    7. Daniel Oviedo & Luis A. Guzman, 2020. "Revisiting Accessibility in a Context of Sustainable Transport: Capabilities and Inequalities in Bogotá," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-22, June.
    8. Lee, Hasik & Park, Ho-Chul & Kho, Seung-Young & Kim, Dong-Kyu, 2019. "Assessing transit competitiveness in Seoul considering actual transit travel times based on smart card data," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    9. Cao, Wen-Rui & Huang, Qiu-Ru & Zhang, Nan & Liang, Hui-Juan & Xian, Ben-Song & Gan, Xiao-Fang & Xu, Dong Roman & Lai, Ying-Si, 2022. "Mapping the travel modes and acceptable travel time to primary healthcare institutions: A case study in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    10. Jana, Arnab & Harata, Noboru, 2016. "Provisioning health care infrastructure in communities: Empirical evidences from West Bengal, India," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 37-46.
    11. Hawas, Yaser E. & Hassan, Mohammad Nurul & Abulibdeh, Ammar, 2016. "A multi-criteria approach of assessing public transport accessibility at a strategic level," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 19-34.
    12. Fraszczyk, Anna & Mulley, Corinne, 2014. "GIS as a tool for selection of sample areas in a travel behaviour survey," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 233-242.
    13. Dadashpoor, Hashem & Rostami, Faramarz, 2017. "Measuring spatial proportionality between service availability, accessibility and mobility: Empirical evidence using spatial equity approach in Iran," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 44-55.
    14. Babatimehin Oyekanmi & Olagundoye Oludotun Oladele & Afolabi Matthew Rotimi, 2017. "Patterns of Patient Flow to Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex’s Cancer Treatment Centre, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria," Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series, Sciendo, vol. 35(35), pages 7-18, March.
    15. David Martin & Hannah Jordan & Paul Roderick, 2008. "Taking the Bus: Incorporating Public Transport Timetable Data into Health Care Accessibility Modelling," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 40(10), pages 2510-2525, October.
    16. Astell-Burt, Thomas & Flowerdew, Robin & Boyle, Paul J. & Dillon, John F., 2011. "Does geographic access to primary healthcare influence the detection of hepatitis C?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(9), pages 1472-1481, May.
    17. Liliana Dumitrache & Mariana Nae & Gabriel Simion & Ana-Maria Taloș, 2020. "Modelling Potential Geographical Access of the Population to Public Hospitals and Quality Health Care in Romania," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-18, November.
    18. Oviedo, Daniel & Cavoli, Clemence & Levy, Caren & Koroma, Braima & Macarthy, Joseph & Sabogal, Orlando & Arroyo, Fatima & Jones, Peter, 2022. "Accessibility and sustainable mobility transitions in Africa: Insights from Freetown," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    19. Mavoa, Suzanne & Witten, Karen & McCreanor, Tim & O’Sullivan, David, 2012. "GIS based destination accessibility via public transit and walking in Auckland, New Zealand," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 15-22.
    20. Singh, Shivendu Shekhar & Sarkar, Basudatta, 2022. "Cumulative opportunity-based accessibility measurement framework in rural India," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 138-151.
    21. Páez, Antonio & Scott, Darren M. & Morency, Catherine, 2012. "Measuring accessibility: positive and normative implementations of various accessibility indicators," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 141-153.
    22. Wei Luo & Fahui Wang, 2003. "Measures of Spatial Accessibility to Health Care in a GIS Environment: Synthesis and a Case Study in the Chicago Region," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 30(6), pages 865-884, December.
    23. Kim, Hyun & Lee, Keumsook & Park, Jong Soo & Song, Yena, 2018. "Transit network expansion and accessibility implications: A case study of Gwangju metropolitan area, South Korea," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 544-553.
    24. Masters, Samuel H. & Burstein, Roy & Amofah, George & Abaogye, Patrick & Kumar, Santosh & Hanlon, Michael, 2013. "Travel time to maternity care and its effect on utilization in rural Ghana: A multilevel analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 147-154.
    25. Jamie Pearce & Karen Witten & Rosemary Hiscock & Tony Blakely, 2008. "Regional and Urban–Rural Variations in the Association of Neighbourhood Deprivation with Community Resource Access: A National Study," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 40(10), pages 2469-2489, October.

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