Understanding Health Service Delivery Using Spatio-Temporal Patient Mobility Data

Abstract

This research aims to identify and analyze mobility patterns and trends across eighty-one provinces in Turkey to understand spatio-temporal characteristics of health-service areas at the national level. In the study we focus on classification of mobility characteristics of different health administration areas with a comprehensive spatial and temporal perspective. We identified four major clusters in addition to several smaller and isolated ones. Statistical tests show that groups identified by clustering patient mobility data correlate, in a statistically significant manner, with all but one of the basic health-care indicators considered. Our analysis identifies several important patterns revealing the level of effectiveness of Turkish health-care delivery in certain regions.