Spatial Accessibility to Primary Care in Metropolitan France: Results Using the SCALE Spatial Accessibility Index for All Regions

Ludivine Launay (), Fabien Guillot, Mohand Medjkane, Guy Launoy and Olivier Dejardin
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Ludivine Launay: Plateforme MapInMed, US PLATON, University of Caen Normandy, 14033 Caen, France
Fabien Guillot: Department of Geography and Territorial Planning, University of Caen Nomandy, UMR CNRS 6266 IDEES-Caen, 14032 Caen, France
Mohand Medjkane: Department of Geography and Territorial Planning, University of Caen Nomandy, UMR CNRS 6266 IDEES-Caen, 14032 Caen, France
Guy Launoy: Plateforme MapInMed, US PLATON, University of Caen Normandy, 14033 Caen, France
Olivier Dejardin: Plateforme MapInMed, US PLATON, University of Caen Normandy, 14033 Caen, France

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 3, 1-11

Abstract: Accessibility to care is a major public health issue. Various tools to assess it are available, but they do not solve the problem of scale. Moreover, accessibility is a multidimensional concept that is not taken into account with current tools. The SCALE index aims to overcome these two limitations by proposing a synthetic measure on a more precise scale than the administrative unit or the sub-municipal scale. Under the assumption of access to care facilities for all and access to the nearest facilities, the potential accessibility distance was calculated for each couple (residential area, accessible facilities). This was defined as the average distance by road that the population has to travel to access care. To take the availability of resources into account, these distances were weighted by the theoretical pressure on the facilities. The SCALE index was then calculated using a linear combination of the distances of potential accessibility to care facilities It highlights differences in accessibility at the national and regional scale. Using this index, it was possible to provide maps for all French regions and the major cities in a story-map. The major conurbation around Paris and the main urban centers has high accessibility. Low accessibility forms a “Y” shape. In conclusion, the SCALE index measures accessibility at the scale of a small geographic unit taking the proximity and the availability of health professionals into account. It is also possible to take into account the diversity of accessibility in a given territory.

Keywords: spatial accessibility; health care; availability; population; spatial unit (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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