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Determining geographic accessibility of family physician and nurse practitioner services in relation to the distribution of seniors within two Canadian Prairie Provinces

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  • Shah, Tayyab Ikram
  • Milosavljevic, Stephan
  • Bath, Brenna

Abstract

Equitable access and distribution of health care services for rural and remote populations is a substantial challenge for health workforce planners and policy makers. Geospatial examination of access to health care considers both need and supply dimensions together to determine spatial access scores which contribute to a greater understanding of potential inequity in accessibility. This geospatial investigation explores geographic variation in accessibility to primary health care services utilizing combined access scores for family physicians and nurse practitioner services in urban and rural communities in the Canadian Prairie provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta. An index of access scores was developed using a floating catchment area framework and a census subdivision geographic unit. Information about family physician and nurse practitioner practice locations and spatial population data were obtained from the Canadian Institute for Health Information and Statistics Canada respectively. Alberta has a better overall provincial access score than Saskatchewan for family physicians and nurse practitioners combined (11.37 vs. 9.77). The results demonstrate that nurse practitioner services are likely addressing primary care access gaps due to reduced numbers of family physician services in certain geographical areas. Combined access scores reveal inequalities in the distribution of primary health care services relative to the proportion of population aged 65 + across both provinces, particularly in rural and remote communities. This study contributes to health services research by exploration of combined access scores for family physician and nurse practitioner services in relation to the distribution of seniors. These findings provide insight into which areas may be in need of increased primary health care services with a focus on both of these health professional groups. The findings of this research will serve as a foundational model for future expansion of the methods to other health care provider groups and to other population health need indicators provincially and nationally.

Suggested Citation

  • Shah, Tayyab Ikram & Milosavljevic, Stephan & Bath, Brenna, 2017. "Determining geographic accessibility of family physician and nurse practitioner services in relation to the distribution of seniors within two Canadian Prairie Provinces," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 96-104.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:194:y:2017:i:c:p:96-104
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.10.019
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kaltenthaler, Eva & Maheswaran, Ravi & Beverley, Catherine, 2004. "Population-based health indexes: a systematic review," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 245-255, May.
    2. Nemet, Gregory F. & Bailey, Adrian J., 2000. "Distance and health care utilization among the rural elderly," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 50(9), pages 1197-1208, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ying Liu & Han Gu & Yuyu Shi, 2022. "Spatial Accessibility Analysis of Medical Facilities Based on Public Transportation Networks," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-15, December.
    2. Shaoyao Zhang & Xueqian Song & Yongping Wei & Wei Deng, 2019. "Spatial Equity of Multilevel Healthcare in the Metropolis of Chengdu, China: A New Assessment Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-15, February.
    3. Jabrullah Ab Hamid & Muhamad Hanafiah Juni & Rosliza Abdul Manaf & Sharifah Norkhadijah Syed Ismail & Poh Ying Lim, 2023. "Spatial Accessibility of Primary Care in the Dual Public–Private Health System in Rural Areas, Malaysia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-21, February.

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