ArticleBundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz2025
[Spatial access to palliative care units in Germany: integrated analysis of availability and accessibility using the E2SFCA method].
Article in Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Quantifying spatial accessibility to inpatient hospices in Germany.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- FuturePall: Forecasting the specialized inpatient palliative care in Germany based on demographic trends and utilization rates.BMC palliative care · 2026Article
- 12 years of specialized pediatric palliative inpatient care: description of patients' characteristics.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
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Abstract
introductionDemographic change and rising patient numbers pose challenges for local access to palliative care units. Availability and accessibility as dimensions of spatial access, which have mostly been considered separately in previous studies, are integrated using the method "Enhanced Two-Step Floating Catchment Area" (E2SFCA) in order to identify regional differences by providing a more realistic picture of the care situation.
methodsAt the community level, an access index (Z
resultsAccess to the 372 palliative care units identified in Germany varies greatly between and within urban and rural areas. In sparsely populated areas, care services lead to above-average access. At the same time, long travel times arise in more remote communities (e.g., Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania). Urban regions often achieve high access indices due to a high density of services. A high population density results in average access when services are available (e.g., North Rhine-Westphalia). DISCUSSION AND
conclusionMost people in Germany could reach palliative care units within 30 min, with large regional differences. The E2SFCA method, applied for the first time to palliative care units, offers a more precise analysis than studies based on district-specific bed capacities and number of inhabitants. In order to reflect the actual regional care situation, the care provision in areas with poor access must be examined in detail.
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