@article{ref1,
title="Traumatic injury and access to care in rural areas: leveraging linked data and geographic information systems for planning and advocacy",
journal="Rural and remote health",
year="2019",
author="Yuma, Paula and Orsi, Rebecca and Dunn, Julie A. and Kenyon, Victoria and Tulanowski, Elizabeth and Stallones, Lorann",
volume="19",
number="3",
pages="e5089-e5089",
abstract="INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this ecological study was to apply Geographic Information System (GIS) methods to patterns of traumatic injury and access to trauma care to facilitate system planning and advocacy. <br><br>METHODS: Four US state (Colorado) and national data sources were linked to examine county-level disparities. Average ambulance drive times to trauma centers for populated places in each county were estimated and mapped. <br><br>RESULTS: Independent samples t-tests demonstrated Colorado's rural counties had significantly higher injury hospitalization rates (mean (M)=685.4 v M=566.3; p=0.005)) and fatality rates (M=93.8 v M=71.6, p<0.001), indicating residents with the least access to care are the most impacted by the burden of injury; this finding was supported by GIS analyses of drive times to level I and II trauma centers and underlying injury rates, which are visually displayed. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: These methods are useful tools for rural public health professionals to conduct system optimization, identify training and resource needs, assess prevention priorities, and advocate for trauma system support.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1445-6354",
doi="10.22605/RRH5089",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.22605/RRH5089"
}