What question did this study set out to answer?

To investigate whether travel time or distance to healthcare facilities influences adult health outcomes and examine the analytical methodologies used to quantify this relationship.

November 1, 2016BMJ OpenOpen Access

Are differences in travel time or distance to healthcare for adults in global north countries associated with an impact on health outcomes? A systematic review

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Authors

CKCharlotte KellySydney Children's Hospital CHClaire HulmeUniversity of Exeter TFTracey FarragherManchester Academic Health Science Centre

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Implication

Systematic review reveals worse health outcomes with greater travel distance to healthcare in adults, highlighting the critical role of facility location in service planning.

Key Points

To investigate whether travel time or distance to healthcare facilities influences adult health outcomes and examine the analytical methodologies used to quantify this relationship.
Systematic review searching MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Transport database, HMIC, and EBM Reviews for studies published through September 7, 2016.
Included primary and secondary care investigations in global north settings, excluding pediatric, obstetric, and emergency medical travel.
Among 108 included studies, 77% demonstrated evidence of distance decay, showing worse health outcomes—including poorer survival rates, longer hospital stays, and higher follow-up non-attendance—among patients living farther from care.
A distance bias effect, where patients living further away experienced better health outcomes, was reported in 6 studies, whereas 19 studies found no association.
Substantial heterogeneity was observed across studies regarding geographic patient data resolution and the methods used to calculate travel metrics.

Cite This Study

Kelly et al. (2016) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a006a07da5c1eb07f2da84a https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-013059

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Implication

Systematic review reveals worse health outcomes with greater travel distance to healthcare in adults, highlighting the critical role of facility location in service planning.

Are differences in travel time or distance to healthcare for adults in global north countries associated with an impact on health outcomes? A systematic review

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Are differences in travel time or distance to healthcare for adults in global north countries associated with an impact on health outcomes? A systematic review

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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