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osu1277862728.pdf (1.61 MB)
ETD Abstract Container
Abstract Header
A People-Centered GIS Analysis of Healthcare Accessibility and Quality-of-Care
Author Info
Hawthorne, Timothy Lee
Permalink:
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1277862728
Abstract Details
Year and Degree
2010, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Geography.
Abstract
Geographers play important roles in public health research, particularly in understanding healthcare accessibility and individual healthcare experiences. Most geographers recognize the multi-dimensionality of accessibility, including distance to provider, cost, provider availability, service accommodation, and service satisfaction. Most accessibility studies have benefited from the increased sophistication of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the availability of geocoded data. Some studies have been enhanced with semi-structured in-depth interviews to understand individual experiences of people as they access healthcare. However, few accessibility studies have explicitly utilized individual in-depth interview data in the construction of new GIS accessibility measures. Using mixed-methods including GIS analysis and individual data from semi-structured in-depth interviews, I offer satisfaction-adjusted distance (SAD) as a new way of conceptualizing accessibility in GIS. Based on my fieldwork in a predominantly lower-income community in Columbus, Ohio, I find that many residents felt neighborhood healthcare facilities offered low-quality care. Such comments suggested residents may have an added psychological distance as they attempt to access high-quality healthcare facilities. The satisfaction-adjusted distance measure, based on individual level data, accounts for the psychological distance some residents feel as they search for high-quality healthcare in urban neighborhoods. In moving beyond conventional GIS and re-conceptualizing accessibility in this way, I offer a more realistic portrayal of the issues lower income urban residents face as they attempt to access high-quality healthcare facilities. The work has theoretical implications for conceptualizing healthcare accessibility, advances the mixed-methodologies literature, and argues for a more equitable distribution of high-quality healthcare services in urban neighborhoods.
Committee
Mei-Po Kwan (Advisor)
Darla Munroe (Committee Member)
Amy Ferketich (Committee Member)
James Beatty (Other)
Pages
208 p.
Subject Headings
Geography
Keywords
geography
;
GIS
;
critical GIS
;
healthcare accessibility
;
Near East Columbus
;
community-based geography
;
participatory action research
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Citations
Hawthorne, T. L. (2010).
A People-Centered GIS Analysis of Healthcare Accessibility and Quality-of-Care
[Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1277862728
APA Style (7th edition)
Hawthorne, Timothy.
A People-Centered GIS Analysis of Healthcare Accessibility and Quality-of-Care.
2010. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation.
OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center
, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1277862728.
MLA Style (8th edition)
Hawthorne, Timothy. "A People-Centered GIS Analysis of Healthcare Accessibility and Quality-of-Care." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1277862728
Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)
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Document number:
osu1277862728
Download Count:
491
Copyright Info
© 2010, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.