The study, conducted by researchers from the University of California San Francisco and Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., looked at data from an annul survey conducted by the American Hospital Association and zip code-level data from the U.S. census. The researchers then calculated the odds of having easy (defined as travel times of less than 20 minutes), moderate (travel times of 20-60 minutes) and difficult (travel times greater than 60 minutes) access to trauma care.
The study found that in urban areas, 67 percent of the population had easy access and 12 percent had difficult access, whereas in rural areas, 24 percent had easy access and 31 percent had difficult access. Within communities, certain groups had more difficult access, such as African American and near-poor populations in urban and rural areas and foreign-born populations in urban areas, according to the report.
Read the release on the Archives of Surgery.
Read more on trauma care:
–5 Statistics on the Most Expensive Hospital Stays
–Vanderbilt Exec Predicts $216M in Uncompensated Care for 2010
–North Shore Establishes NYC Clinic to Alleviate Demand on Hospital EDs
