Schuurman Nadine, Martin Michael, Crooks Valorie A, Randall Ellen
Department of Geography,Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, Canada V5A 1S6.
School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Health Place. 2018 Jan;49:50-58. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2017.11.004. Epub 2017 Dec 1.
We developed an index to measure potential need for palliative care services (PCIX). This is an instrument that enables spatial identification of potential population-level need for palliative care services and can be developed using census data. Four indicators of potential need for palliative care services -age, sex, living arrangement, socio-economic status (SES)-were used to produce composite potential need scores for DAs. Scores were graphically mapped, producing a spatial delineation of relative need for end-of-life services. To assess the benefit of combining multiple variables to define potential need, PCIX resolution was compared to general SES-based delineations of need. PCIX scores and maps were generated for all DAs, revealing spatial variability in potential need for palliative care services (PCS). Comparison of PCIX maps to those based on purely on SES indicated that use of variables specifically linked to palliative need resulted in more precise delineations of potential populations in need of PCS. Using composite scores - based on freely available census data - to spatially assess potential need for palliative care services can provide critical data for decision makers charged with rationalizing service locations and service capacity.
我们开发了一个指数来衡量姑息治疗服务的潜在需求（PCIX）。这是一种工具，能够在空间上识别潜在的人群层面的姑息治疗服务需求，并且可以利用人口普查数据来开发。用于产生地区（DA）综合潜在需求分数的姑息治疗服务潜在需求的四个指标——年龄、性别、居住安排、社会经济地位（SES）。分数被以图形方式绘制出来，生成了临终服务相对需求的空间划分。为了评估结合多个变量来定义潜在需求的益处，将PCIX分辨率与基于一般SES的需求划分进行了比较。为所有地区生成了PCIX分数和地图，揭示了姑息治疗服务（PCS）潜在需求的空间变异性。将PCIX地图与仅基于SES的地图进行比较表明，使用与姑息治疗需求具体相关的变量能够更精确地划分出需要PCS的潜在人群。利用基于免费可得的人口普查数据的综合分数在空间上评估姑息治疗服务的潜在需求，可以为负责使服务地点和服务能力合理化的决策者提供关键数据。
