A Geodemographic Service Coverage Analysis of Travel Time to Glaucoma Specialists in Florida.
Rothman Adam L, Stoler Justin B, Vu Daniel M, Chang Ta C
AI Summary
This study found 1 in 9 elderly Floridians live over an hour from a glaucoma specialist, highlighting significant access barriers, especially in rural areas, impacting care and potentially vision outcomes.
Abstract
Precis: Approximately 1 in 9 Florida residents over the age of 65 years (438,642 people) live more than an hour away from a glaucoma specialist, which represents a significant barrier to care.
Purpose
To describe access to glaucoma care for Florida's elderly population using travel time to American Glaucoma Society (AGS) member offices.
Methods
For this cross-sectional service coverage analysis, a list of AGS member locations was extracted from the AGS website, and addresses were geocoded using ArcGIS Online. Driving time regions were created using the service area tool in ArcGIS Pro 2.4 and overlaid with 2010 United States Census and 2016 American Community Survey data for all Florida residents age 65 or older.
Results
Fifty-eight AGS member providers with 65 locations were identified and geocoded. There were 3,797,625 individuals aged over 65 years in Florida, of which 1,153,320 (30.4%) lived within 15 minutes of driving time from an AGS provider's office, 2,586,825 (68.1%) within 30 minutes, 3,358,983 (88.4%) within 60 minutes, and 3,491,815 (91.9%) within 120 minutes. The areas with the lowest access include rural areas near Lake Okeechobee and the Florida Panhandle. The population living beyond a 60-minute drive was more likely to be White, non-Hispanic and older, but less likely to be living below the federal poverty level or receiving public assistance than the population living within a 60-minute drive.
Conclusions
There is a significant travel burden for the elderly community of Florida to reach AGS providers. Additional studies could help identify other social barriers to accessing glaucoma providers in Florida and beyond in an effort to improve patient compliance and, ultimately, vision outcomes.
MeSH Terms
Shields Classification
Key Concepts5
Approximately 1 in 9 Florida residents over the age of 65 years (438,642 people) live more than an hour away from a glaucoma specialist, which represents a significant barrier to care.
There were 3,797,625 individuals aged over 65 years in Florida, of which 1,153,320 (30.4%) lived within 15 minutes of driving time from an American Glaucoma Society (AGS) provider's office.
There were 3,797,625 individuals aged over 65 years in Florida, of which 2,586,825 (68.1%) lived within 30 minutes of driving time from an American Glaucoma Society (AGS) provider's office.
There were 3,797,625 individuals aged over 65 years in Florida, of which 3,358,983 (88.4%) lived within 60 minutes of driving time from an American Glaucoma Society (AGS) provider's office.
The population of Florida residents aged over 65 years living beyond a 60-minute drive from an American Glaucoma Society (AGS) provider was more likely to be White, non-Hispanic and older, but less likely to be living below the federal poverty level or receiving public assistance than the population living within a 60-minute drive.
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