A Spatial Multivariate Approach to the Analysis of Accessibility to Health Care Facilities in Canada

Abstract

The paper discusses an analytical framework for the specification of a multivariate spatial model of the accessibility of health care facilities to the Canadian population. The model draws from simple economic theory to define an optimum level of service provision, based on the demand-supply equilibrium. The focus is on the demand side model: the demand is represented by the population requiring the service, and since the population is spatially distributed over the study region, accessibility of the service becomes the key variable. A set of modules forms the entire model, the main feature of which are the determination of the potential origin region and the specification of an efficient spatial model that explicitly incorporates local factors. © Springer-Verlag 2004.