Using computer graphics to map origin-destination data describing health care delivery systems

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Medical Informatics
• Geographic Information Systems

Background:

• Analyzing patient referral patterns is crucial for understanding healthcare access and resource allocation.
• Previous methods for mapping patient flow were often costly and time-consuming.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate the FLOWMAP computer program for analyzing cancer patient referral patterns.
• To assess geographic trends in cancer care delivery in western Washington from 1974 to 1978.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the interactive graphic computer program FLOWMAP to process origin-destination data.
• Generated various maps illustrating the geographic distribution of over 7,000 cancer patient referrals across 13 counties.
• Compared the cost-effectiveness of FLOWMAP with traditional manual mapping methods.

Main Results:

• FLOWMAP efficiently produced maps detailing significant geographic components of cancer patient referrals.
• Demonstrated a decentralization trend in cancer care delivery within western Washington over the 5-year study period.
• Highlighted the cost savings of FLOWMAP, estimated at 1/30 to 1/50 of manual methods.

Conclusions:

• FLOWMAP is an effective and economical tool for visualizing and analyzing healthcare referral patterns.
• The study identified a significant shift towards decentralized cancer care, impacting healthcare planning.
• FLOWMAP has potential applications beyond cancer patient tracking, including broader healthcare delivery system analysis.