Evidence map›Paper›PMID 23153335›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of health geographics2012

Spatial accessibility of primary health care utilising the two step floating catchment area method: an assessment of recent improvements.

Matthew R McGrail

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in International journal of health geographics, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 132 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
132citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

132 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Geographic Access to Mammography and Its Relationship to Breast Cancer Screening and Stage at Diagnosis: A Systematic Review.Women's health issues : official publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health
    Pooled it
  4. The KPROCS Study: A Real-World and Research Resource to Investigate Multilevel Determinants of Ovarian Cancer Treatment and Survival.Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2026
    Article
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  6. [Spatial accessibility and optimization of pediatric healthcare resources in Beijing].Beijing da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Peking University. Health sciences · 2026
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72 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

1 author.

Matthew R McGrailGippsland Medical School, Monash University, Northways Road, Churchill, VIC 3842, Australia. matthew.mcgrail@monash.edu

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe two step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method has emerged in the last decade as a key measure of spatial accessibility, particularly in its application to primary health care access. Many recent 'improvements' to the original 2SFCA method have been developed, which generally either account for distance-decay within a catchment or enable the usage of variable catchment sizes. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of various proposed methods within these two improvement groups. Moreover, its assessment focuses on how well these improvements operate within and between rural and metropolitan populations over large geographical regions.

resultsDemonstrating these improvements to the whole state of Victoria, Australia, this paper presents the first comparison between continuous and zonal (step) decay functions and specifically their effect within both rural and metropolitan populations. Especially in metropolitan populations, the application of either type of distance-decay function is shown to be problematic by itself. Its inclusion necessitates the addition of a variable catchment size function which can enable the 2SFCA method to dynamically define more appropriate catchments which align with actual health service supply and utilisation.

conclusionThis study assesses recent 'improvements' to the 2SFCA when applied over large geographic regions of both large and small populations. Its findings demonstrate the necessary combination of both a distance-decay function and variable catchment size function in order for the 2SFCA to appropriately measure healthcare access across all geographical regions.

Indexed as

Catchment Area, HealthHealth Services AccessibilityGeographic MappingHumansPopulation DensityPrimary Health CareVictoria

Identifiers

PMID23153335
PMCPMC3520708

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.