IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v13y2024i2p142-d1327019.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Analysis of Regional Medical Supply and Demand Network Characteristics Based on “Patient Flow Phenomenon”: A Case Study of the Core Area of the Wuhan Metropolitan Area

Author

Listed:
  • Fang Guo

    (School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China)

  • Wei Wei

    (School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
    China Institute of Development Strategy and Planning, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China)

  • Bowen Xiang

    (School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China)

  • Mengyao Hong

    (School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China)

Abstract

Examining medical supply–demand imbalances, as revealed through patients’ cross-boundary treatment behaviors, is vital for reducing a metropolitan area’s medical supply–demand gap and furthering sustainable development goals. This study, leveraging medical supply–demand and commuting data, scrutinizes medical imbalances in the Wuhan metropolitan area core. It includes a ‘People-centered’ theory for elucidating patients’ treatment behaviors, proposes a method for constructing a regional medical supply–demand network, and explores the problem of supply–demand imbalance. The key findings include: (1) Wuhan’s central area, despite its abundance of quality medical resources, fails to adequately cover the entire metropolitan area, indicating a need for broader resource distribution. (2) The Ezhou–Huangshi–Huanggang junction shows a stark contrast to Wuhan with its limited medical services and extensive hinterland connections. Future initiatives should aim to integrate resources dispersed from Wuhan, reducing regional disparities. (3) The city’s periphery, influenced by resource distribution models and geographic distance, exhibits significant variance from central urban areas in medical supply–demand connectivity, particularly around Wuhan’s eastern administrative boundaries. Future urban planning is needed to reinforce this area’s role as a vital medical services conduit. (4) The distinguishing differences among the nine medical service communities in terms of resource recognition, service sharing, and patient mobility provide policy guidance for the allocation of medical resources.

Suggested Citation

  • Fang Guo & Wei Wei & Bowen Xiang & Mengyao Hong, 2024. "Analysis of Regional Medical Supply and Demand Network Characteristics Based on “Patient Flow Phenomenon”: A Case Study of the Core Area of the Wuhan Metropolitan Area," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-22, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:13:y:2024:i:2:p:142-:d:1327019
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/2/142/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/2/142/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Liping Fu & Kaibo Xu & Feng Liu & Lu Liang & Zhengmin Wang, 2021. "Regional Disparity and Patients Mobility: Benefits and Spillover Effects of the Spatial Network Structure of the Health Services in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-16, January.
    2. Yang, Haoran & Du, Delin & Wang, Jiaoe & Wang, Xiaomeng & Zhang, Fan, 2023. "Reshaping China's urban networks and their determinants: High-speed rail vs. air networks," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 83-92.
    3. Meng Yu & Shenjing He & Dunxu Wu & Hengpeng Zhu & Chris Webster, 2019. "Examining the Multi-Scalar Unevenness of High-Quality Healthcare Resources Distribution in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-20, August.
    4. Ying Chen & Jiale Wu, 2022. "The Effect of the Referral System on the Accessibility of Healthcare Services: A Case Study of the Wuhan Metropolitan Development Zone," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-14, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chenyuan Qin & Min Liu & Xin Guo & Jue Liu, 2022. "Human Resources in Primary Health-Care Institutions before and after the New Health-Care Reform in China from 2003 to 2019: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-10, May.
    2. Li Li & Qingyu Zhou & Ting Yin & Zisheng Ji & Lufa Zhang, 2021. "Does the Direct Settlement Policy of Trans-Provincial Outpatient Expenses Aggravate the Siphoning Effect? An Empirical Study on Yangtze River Delta, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-11, September.
    3. Xiaoguang Fan & Fei Yan & Wei Yan, 2020. "Better Choice, Better Health? Social Integration and Health Inequality among International Migrants in Hangzhou, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-13, July.
    4. Xixi Tao & Jianchu Li & Yang Gu & Li Ma & Wen Xu & Ruojiao Wang & Luying Gao & Rui Zhang & Hongyan Wang & Yuxin Jiang, 2022. "A National Quality Improvement Program on Ultrasound Department in China: A Controlled Cohort Study of 1297 Public Hospitals," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-11, December.
    5. Zhenbao Wang & Dong Liu & Shihao Li & Shuyue Liu & Huiqing Li & Ning Chen, 2023. "Analyzing the Impact of Decreasing Out-of-Vehicle Time of Public Transportation Travel on Accessibility to Tertiary Hospitals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-20, August.
    6. Wenbin Wang & Yang Cao, 2022. "Network Diversity and Health Change among International Migrants in China: Evidence from Foreigners in Changchun," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-16, December.
    7. Wanchun Xu & Zijing Pan & Shan Lu & Liang Zhang, 2020. "Regional Heterogeneity of Application and Effect of Telemedicine in the Primary Care Centres in Rural China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-15, June.
    8. Shen, Chi & Lai, Sha & Deng, Qiwei & Cao, Dan & Zhao, Dantong & Zhao, Yaxin & Zhou, Zhongliang & Dong, Wanyue & Chen, Xi, 2023. "Do Primary Healthcare Facilities in More Remote Areas Provide More Medical Services? Spatial Evidence from Rural Western China," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1309, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    9. Xiang Yan & Shenjing He & Dong Dong, 2020. "Determining How Far an Adult Rare Disease Patient Needs to Travel for a Definitive Diagnosis: A Cross-Sectional Examination of the 2018 National Rare Disease Survey in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-18, March.
    10. Yu Yang & Yong Wang, 2022. "Analysis of the Characteristics of Cross-Regional Patient Groups and Differences in Hospital Service Utilization in Beijing," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-15, March.
    11. Shangguang Yang & Danyang Wang & Chen Li & Chunlan Wang & Mark Wang, 2021. "Medical Treatment Behaviour of the Elderly Population in Shanghai: Group Features and Influencing Factor Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-21, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:13:y:2024:i:2:p:142-:d:1327019. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.