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Document Type |
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Thesis |
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Document Title |
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Analysis of Spatial Disparities in Access to Healthcare: A Case Study of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia تحليل التفاوتات المكانية في الوصول إلى الرعاية الصحية حالة دراسية: مدينة جدة، المملكة العربية السعودية |
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Subject |
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Faculty of Architecture and planning |
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Document Language |
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Arabic |
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Abstract |
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Abstract
The issue of reducing spatial disparities in access to healthcare is one of the most important healthcare planning issues that policy makers and planners investigate and consider as a key focus until present time. A healthcare system that meets the requirements of availability and affordability will be ineffective if the spatial accessibility to healthcare is not provided to all equally. Therefore, this study aims to identify and analyze spatial disparities in access to healthcare providers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method and its enhanced version (i.e., E2SFCA method) were used to model spatial accessibility of healthcare providers based on the travel time threshold (i.e., 30-min drive time in this study). The GIS technology was used to execute the 2SFCA and E2SFCA methods. A geodatabase, which includes the population districts, locations of healthcare centers, and road network, was created. Some procedures were performed within the road network database to set the travel time that is considered as an essential step to compute the origin–destination (OD) cost matrix. The generated travel time catchments matrix was later used as the source for calculating provider-to-population ratios and the spatial accessibility scores for population districts. The scores do not provide a benchmark for what low accessibility areas are. Accordingly, the GIS-based local spatial autocorrelation statistic (i.e., Anselin Local Moran’s I) was used to determine the spatial clusters of the population districts with the lowest potential spatial access to healthcare centers in Jeddah. The results of the study revealed spatial disparities in access to healthcare centers in Jeddah city. The majority of the Jeddah population have accessibility to healthcare centers, but with disparate levels. The central districts have a higher access score compared to the rest of the city’s districts. 4.3% of Jeddah's population were determined as the population with the lowest potential spatial access to healthcare centers who are concentrated in the southern and northern peripheral districts. Generally, the methodology developed for this study may help the Saudi Ministry of Health reduce spatial access disparities to healthcare in Saudi cities through re-directing the allocation of healthcare resources to those most in need in the future. In the case of Jeddah city, the results can help local health planners improve spatial equity in access to healthcare centers by giving the population districts with the lowest healthcare access -defined by this study- a priority when allocating future healthcare centers in the city. This study could be as a basis for further research investigations. Accordingly, future research is needed to integrate spatial and non-spatial factors to model spatial accessibility to healthcare in Jeddah based on different modes of transportation that could lead to more accurate results. In addition, future research is necessary to use location-allocation approaches to formulate possible planning interventions that could contribute to reducing spatial disparities in access to healthcare in Jeddah.
Keywords: Healthcare planning; spatial accessibility; 2SFCA method; E2SFCA method; Local Moran’s I |
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Supervisor |
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Prof. Dr. Abdulkader Murad |
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Thesis Type |
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Doctorate Thesis |
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Publishing Year |
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1444 AH
2023 AD |
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Added Date |
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Monday, April 17, 2023 |
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Researchers
| بندر فؤاد خاشقجي | Khashoggi, Bandar Fuad | Researcher | Doctorate | |
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