Thank you, Google Health for sharing this critical depiction of access and socioeconomic status. We must do better to reach all populations.
Access to care is critical, but all the access in the world will not solve the current crisis in care delivery. Access, in fact, can be quite deceptive.
In the Northeast, particularly in the greater Boston area, we have access to a
wide array of health systems, technology, and the finest physicians in the
world. One stat indicates our Boston area teaching hospitals boast more radiologists than entire countries have. I am incredibly privileged and
fortunate to have access to this medical community. My family and friends have benefited from this health care mecca.
Health care Access, however, does not always equate to getting the care
you need. The myriad of complexities, protocols, suppliers, players, and payors have created a dangerous, frustrating, and costly approach to accessing care.
The stakes are high as lack of patient compliance with medication, procedures, and diagnostics gives rise to escalations in more urgent and costly care detracting from needed health care delivery. I have personally witnessed this journey with friends, elderly, and my own daughter. She is educated and understands the system. Even so, she recently broke down and noted the cost of chasing down her critical monthly medication - which typically means spending stressful hours on the phone, taking time off work, and phoning several entities to get them on the the same page - is not worth the cost to her mental health and she might just stop taking it! (The med is the second of three meds that can treat her condition -she became immune to the first - due to arduous gyrations and delays getting medication into her body). Over the years, we have come to expect this wild ride each cycle and have become less bewildered as thousands of dollars of equipment, erroneously shipped, piled up in our basement, we received incorrect meds and dosages, and cleared calendars for many infusions that would not happen.
We manage this repeatedly and know we are lucky. It does, however, make one wonder if others with similar access are on the same brutal journey
to fill a life changing script, to get that test, to receive the care they need. How might an hourly employee manage this burden? Is everyone able to read the complex labels and dosage? Might folks facing more challenges give up faster?
So, as we solve for access:
Are there also simple data driven steps to take now, i.e., after x touches to the combined health care delivery system, a health care coach coordinator intercedes?
Could we use AI to model a more linear path to care delivery?
Might optimizing care delivery drive down administrative costs and optimize better care delivery?
Should entities increase data sharing and track a patient from first touch to care delivery milestones?
How else might we optimize the vision of My Health My Right?
In five Nigerian cities, the least wealthy 20% have zero access to emergency obstetric facilities within an hour.
A new study in Communications Medicine leveraging Google Maps evaluates how to provide more accurate travel time estimates and improve access and outcomes.
Learn more: https://goo.gle/43HvIHK
OnTIME Consortium
Socio-spatial equity analysis of relative wealth index and emergency obstetric care accessibility in urban Nigeria - Communications Medicine
Founder & CEO at ORET Healthcare Enterprise
4wThank you, Google Health, for sharing. The disparity in access to Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric Care (CEmOC) between the wealthiest and least wealthy women in urban Nigeria, marked by significant travel time differences to facilities, extends beyond physical distance, highlighting gaps in affordability, availability, and care quality. This situation also indicates a misalignment between urban planning and the healthcare needs of diverse demographic groups, particularly affecting those with lower wealth. Shifting resource allocation and intervention design tailored to the specific needs and challenges of different urban communities is critical. Ensuring healthcare facilities are strategically placed and providing subsidized or free transportation for pregnant women are crucial steps in enhancing both spatial and economic access to CEmOC services. Furthermore, mobile health units and telemedicine can bridge the care gap for women in lower-wealth urban communities.