Citation

Lawson FL, Schuurman N, Oliver L, Nathens AB. Health Place 2012; 19: 131-137.

Affiliation

Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6. Electronic address: flawson@sfu.ca.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.healthplace.2012.10.011

PMID

23220376

Abstract

Injuries are a major public health problem around the world. Previous research has suggested that providing prompt access to specialized trauma center care may greatly improve the health outcomes of trauma patients. In this paper, a geographic information system (GIS) method is used to examine potential spatial access to trauma centers by individuals who were either hospitalized or died as a result of a major trauma. Overall, it was determined that 68.5% of individuals who suffered from a major trauma lived within one hour travel time of a Level I or II trauma center. In addition, major traumas resulting in death were found to have poorer potential spatial access to trauma center care than those that were admitted to hospital.

Language: en