Travel-time accessibility and adaptive spatial planning solutions for the healthcare system
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Published version
Author(s)
Balsa-Barreiro, Jose
Batista, Sérgio FA
Hannoun, Gaby J
Menendez, Monica
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Ensuring equitable healthcare access remains a significant challenge, particularly in rural areas where aging populations face increasing barriers due to facility closures. This study employs a GIS-based spatial network model to assess hospital accessibility, integrate road characteristics, and estimate travel times across all officially registered population nodes in a region. Analyzing disparities by age composition, we identify high-risk exclusion areas and propose an optimized model prioritizing vulnerable populations. Through four optimization scenarios, we evaluate the impact of hospital reductions on territorial accessibility. Findings reveal significant gaps, disproportionately affecting elderly and remote communities. Strategic hospital redistribution can enhance system efficiency and equity. This research highlights the value of GIS-based approaches in healthcare planning, providing data-driven strategies for optimizing hospital distribution and informing evidence-based policymaking.
Date Issued
2025-07-03
Date Acceptance
2025-05-29
Citation
npj Health Systems, 2025, 2
ISSN
3005-1959
Publisher
Nature Research
Journal / Book Title
npj Health Systems
Volume
2
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2025 Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
24
Date Publish Online
2025-07-03