Travel Distance and Time to Pulsed Dye Laser Treatment for Port-Wine Birthmark in the Pediatric Population.

Prior research has demonstrated that early treatment of port-wine birthmark (PWB) with pulsed dye laser (PDL) yields optimal patient outcomes. Given the known variations in practice patterns among dermatologists offering PDL, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis in order to determine the travel distance and time to practice locations offering PDL therapy for PWB among the pediatric population. We determined the travel time and distance from each county population center in the United States to the nearest PDL site using ArcGIS and linked the data to demographic characteristics in each census tract. 1,243 practice sites were identified that offer PDL treatment for PWB for patients under the age of 18. Children living in urban areas were found to have a significantly shorter median travel time and distance to PDL sites (6.1 miles, 11.8 minutes) compared to children living in rural areas (60.9 miles, 66.7 minutes). Additionally, uninsured children were found to travel longer average distances (32.2 miles) than insured children (24.2 miles). These findings suggest that certain socioeconomically disadvantaged groups have increased travel burden when obtaining PDL treatment for PWB. Transportation resources and support may need to be given to certain patients to ensure timely and effective PDL treatment.