Schultheis Eric, Glasmeier Amy
Post-Traumatic Stress Innovations Project, Sociotechnical Systems Research Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue (E38-600), Cambridge, MA 02139-4307.
Mil Med. 2015 Sep;180(9):979-85. doi: 10.7205/MILMED-D-14-00229.
Over the last decade, demand for services from military treatment facilities (MTFs) has frequently exceeded capacity resulting in increased usage of off-base civilian Tricare providers (OCTP). This capacity shortage has been particularly acute for mental health care. At many installations, OCTPs are the main source of mental health care for military personnel and their families. Utilizing data on the location of mental health OCTPs and demographic data, we examine the spatial accessibility of mental health OCTPs around five military installations. Variation exists in the spatial accessibility of mental health OCTPs depending on the geographic context of an installation. There is a mild correlation between the number of mental health OTCPs proximate to a base and the beneficiaries enrolled in an MTF. There is a strong correlation between the size of the general population proximate to an installation and the number of mental health OCTMPs present. Installations located in densely populated areas had high ratios of mental health OCTPs to the MTF beneficiary population but not when the civilian demand on these providers was accounted for. This study's findings open several avenues for future research and policy aimed at increasing the effectiveness of the mental health OCTP network.
在过去十年中，军事治疗机构（MTF）的服务需求经常超过其容量，导致对基地外民用特里卡尔医疗服务提供商（OCTP）的使用增加。这种容量短缺在精神卫生保健方面尤为严重。在许多设施中，OCTP是军事人员及其家属精神卫生保健的主要来源。利用关于精神卫生OCTP位置的数据和人口统计数据，我们研究了五个军事设施周边精神卫生OCTP的空间可达性。精神卫生OCTP的空间可达性因设施的地理环境而异。靠近基地的精神卫生OTCP数量与MTF登记的受益人之间存在微弱的相关性。靠近设施的总人口规模与现有的精神卫生OCTMP数量之间存在很强的相关性。位于人口密集地区的设施，精神卫生OCTP与MTF受益人群的比例较高，但如果考虑到这些提供商的民用需求，则并非如此。本研究的结果为未来旨在提高精神卫生OCTP网络有效性的研究和政策开辟了几条途径。
