Population's potential accessibility to specialized palliative care services: a comparative study in three European countries

Background: Palliative care is a priority for health systems worldwide, yet equity in access remains unknown. To shed light on this issue, this study compares populations’ driving time to specialized palliative care services in three countries: Ireland, Spain, and Switzerland. Methods: Network analy...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Steijn, D. (Danny) van|||/items/68a8ac2a-627d-4b1f-93b4-d91972bd62a7, Pons-Izquierdo, J.J. (Juan José)|||/items/d351a355-e670-4f39-addf-acef083bc8de, Garralda-Domezain, E. (Eduardo)|||/items/4889891c-a97b-47ad-841f-f3285703cac3, Sánchez-Cárdenas, M. (Miguel)|||/items/795d0a8a-bf11-4472-b8cb-28aa76a47c06, Centeno, C. (Carlos)|||/items/51b2dfa8-5e18-4188-a2f8-410672dce680
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Navarra
Repositorio:Dadun. Depósito Académico Digital de la Universidad de Navarra
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:dadun.unav.edu:10171/62708
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10171/62708
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Palliative care
Geographical accessibility
Equity
Europe
Medicina paliativa
Descripción
Sumario:Background: Palliative care is a priority for health systems worldwide, yet equity in access remains unknown. To shed light on this issue, this study compares populations’ driving time to specialized palliative care services in three countries: Ireland, Spain, and Switzerland. Methods: Network analysis of the population’s driving time to services according to geolocated palliative care services using Geographical Information System (GIS). Percentage of the population living within a 30-min driving time, between 30 and 60 minutes, and over 60 min were calculated. Results: The percentage of the population living less than thirty minutes away from the nearest palliative care provider varies among Ireland (84%), Spain (79%), and Switzerland (95%). Percentages of the population over an hour away from services were 1.87% in Spain, 0.58% in Ireland, and 0.51% in Switzerland. Conclusion: Inequities in access to specialized palliative care are noticeable amongst countries, with implications also at the sub-national level.