The Application of Three-Dimensional Analogue Models to the Distribution of Medical Care Facilities

Abstract

The spatial distribution of medical care facilities in the metropolitan community and methods of representing them are analyzed. Two aspects are treated: 1. graphic and analytical techniques for presentation and analysis of areally distributed data, and 2. implications of these distributions for medical care utilization and planning. A three-dimensional analogue model is introduced which provides accurate visual representation and allows limited statistical analysis. The multimodality of the spatial distributions of medical care facilities is demonstrated. Physician offices show the greatest tendency to cluster, primarily in response to location of hospitals; dental offices are second; and pharmacies are least clustered. Location of hospitals reflects historical inertia but has little relevance to their utilization by those who are physically closest to them.