HOME HELP CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Rapid Responses: Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when Rapid Responses are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Dulin, M. F. Articles by Furuseth, O. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Dulin, M. F. Articles by Furuseth, O. J. Social Bookmarking                      What's this?

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Demonstrating Primary Care Needs for a Transitioning Hispanic Community

Department of Family Medicine, Carolinas Healthcare System (MFD, HT, BUdH)
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of North Carolina (TML, HAS, JB, OJF), Charlotte, NC

Correspondence: Corresponding author: Hazel Tapp, PhD, Elizabeth Family Medicine, 2001 Vail Avenue, 4th Floor, Suite 400, Charlotte, NC 28207 (E-mail: hazel.tapp{at}carolinashealthcare.org)

Background: Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing minority group in the United States. Charlotte, NC, had the 4th fastest growing Hispanic community in the nation between 1990 to 2000. Gaining understanding of the patterns of health care use for this changing population is a key step toward designing improved primary care access and community health.

Methods: The Multiple Attribute Primary Care Targeting Strategy process was applied to key patient- and community-level attributes describing the Charlotte Hispanic community. Maps were created based on socioeconomic status, population density, insurance status, and use of the emergency department as a primary care safety net. Each of these variables was weighed and added to create a single composite map.

Results: Individual attribute maps and the composite map identified geographic locations where Hispanic community members would most benefit from increased access to primary care services.

Conclusions: Using the Multiple Attribute Primary Care Targeting Strategy process we were able to identify geographic areas within our community where many Hispanic immigrants face barriers to accessing appropriate primary care services. These areas can subsequently be targeted for interventions that improve access to primary care and reduce emergency department use. The geospatial model created through this process can be monitored over time to determine the effectiveness of these interventions.

CiteULike

Complore

Connotea

Del.icio.us

Digg

Reddit

Technorati

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. N. Oliver Mapping Primary Care: Putting Our Patients in Context J Am Board Fam Med, January 1, 2010; 23(1): 1 - 3. [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. F. Dulin, T. M. Ludden, H. Tapp, J. Blackwell, B. U. de Hernandez, H. A. Smith, and O. J. Furuseth Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to Understand a Community's Primary Care Needs J Am Board Fam Med, January 1, 2010; 23(1): 13 - 21. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]