1. Access to Head and Neck Cancer Specialists: A Geospatial Analysis of U.S. Travel Time.
- Author
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Goodnight, B., Hanna, G.J., Sieling, F., Fortman, A., Zheng, D., Habila, M., Cassese, M., Merchant, S., and Black, C.M.
- Subjects
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TRAVEL time (Traffic engineering) , *ONCOLOGISTS , *HEAD & neck cancer , *ONCOLOGIC surgery , *KRUSKAL-Wallis Test - Abstract
Head and neck cancers (HNC) present unique clinical challenges due to their anatomical location and complex treatment approaches, necessitating specialized care from a multi-disciplinary team. Understanding disparities in access to HNC specialists is crucial to ensure equitable treatment for patients. This study aims to assess geographic disparities across the United States using geospatial analysis. HNC specialist locations were identified using two complimentary data sources: the American Society of Clinical Oncology and data from the U.S. News and World Report doctor finder, which included physicians that: self-reported a primary specialty in medical, radiation, or surgical oncology and reported HNC as a subspecialty. Specialists were matched to unique entries in the NPPES NPI Registry. Travel time to the nearest specialist from U.S. Census population-weighted county centroids were computed for all U.S. counties using the Travel Time API. Median travel time by U.S. region, metro/non-metro status, and population density are reported. Statistical analyses were conducted using Spearman's rank correlation and Wilcoxon tests to account for non-normality. Across 3,141 U.S. counties the median estimated travel time to the nearest of 1,107 HNC providers was 96 minutes (1.6 hours). Spearman's rank correlation test showed that a lower population density was associated with longer travel time (r = -.6, p <.001), demonstrating a continuum in disparity in access to specialized care. However, there were still disparities observed between counties with similar populations: as an example, Travis County, TX (Austin) and El Paso County, TX (El Paso) have relatively similar populations (1,290,188 vs. 865,657 persons) but disparate travel time (14 vs. 237 minutes). A Kruskal-Wallis test showed that median travel time (in minutes) varied significantly by region (Midwest 111, Northeast 57, South 87, West 147; χ2 (3) = 328.83, p <.001) and by specialist type (Medical 114, Surgical 122, Radiation 125; χ2 (2) = 26.51, p <.001). Metro areas had lower median travel time than non-metro areas (58 vs. 120 minutes; Wilcoxon p <.001). The geospatial analysis revealed substantial disparities in access to HNC specialists across the U.S which may contribute to health outcomes. Further investigation into the causes of these disparities and contextualizing these results within HNC epidemiology will allow for the identification of healthcare "deserts" where need and access to care are imbalanced. These results can be leveraged to identify solutions to optimize resource allocation to improve patient access to HNC specialists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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