Understanding the role of the public transport network in the greater Sydney area in providing access to dental care.

Conclusion Metropolitan Sydney has a transport system that is substantial and robust, and appears to offer relatively similar spatial accessibility for all socioeconomic groups. This system is an example of great urban planning, where the distribution of bus stops is evenly positioned in both high-density areas and areas of low socioeconomic status.What is known about the topic? Older adults and disadvantaged people suffer from higher levels of dental disease compared with the rest of the population. Older adults and disadvantaged people are more likely to rely on public transport to access healthcare services, including dental care. The Australian population is aging rapidly.What does this paper add? Although a previous study examined the accessibility to services via the train network, this is the first analysis of the spatial accessibility to dental services via the bus network in Sydney. Most older adults and disadvantaged people in Sydney enjoy acceptable spatial access to the public transport network, and thereby to dental practices. Urban planning, in terms of determining healthcare service locations and the public transport network, needs to consider the distribution of older adults and disadvantaged populations.What are the implications for practitioners? Practitioners are more likely to attract older adult patients to their practices or clinics if these are located within easy access to the public transport network. PMID: 30304663 [PubMed - as supplied by pu...
Source: Australian Health Review - Category: Hospital Management Authors: Tags: Aust Health Rev Source Type: research