Abstract
Spatial Attraction: Visualization and Analysis of Flow Data Track: Health and Human Services Author(s): Jane Garb, Ric Skinner, Christopher Boyd, Phillip Henneman, Richard Wait The gravity model (spatial interaction) analyzes factors in flow (of people, goods, ideas, services, etc.) from one place to another. It has been applied in diverse fields such as economics, transportation, social science, recreation, and healthcare. This presentation will describe the basic concepts of flow analysis, illustrate methods of visualizing flow data, and present examples of its use in healthcare. We will highlight the results from a collaborative study of physicians and GIS professionals on the importance of geographic features, political boundaries, and census demographics in emergency room utilization at an urban tertiary care medical center. In this analysis, patients who lived farther from the hospital were less likely to visit the ED. In addition, the state border and a major river significantly impacted the frequency of ED visits. Jane Garb Baystate Health 380 New York St Springfield Country , CA 92374 US Phone: (413) 794-0661 E-mail: jane.garb@bhs.org Ric Skinner Baystate Medical Center 759 Chestnut Street Springfield , MA 01199 US Phone: 413-794-5161 E-mail: ric.skinner-gis@bhs.org Christopher Boyd Baystate Medical Center 759 Chestnut Street Springfield , MA 01199 US Phone: 413-794-0660 E-mail: chris.boyd@bhs.org Phillip Henneman Baystate Medical Center 759 Chestnut Street Springfield , MA 01199 US Phone: 413-794-5375 E-mail: Philip.henneman@bhs.org Richard Wait Baystate Medical Center 759 Chestnut Street Springfield , MA 01199 US Phone: 413-794-5161 E-mail: richard.wait@bhs.org |
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