[Spatial accessibility to animal health care - a GIS based analysis]

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Secured access to veterinary care is crucial for a "One Health" approach.
• Traditional indicators of care structures are limited, focusing solely on availability or accessibility.
• Novel methods are needed to comprehensively assess veterinary healthcare systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine and visualize the density and spatial accessibility of animal healthcare services in Switzerland.
• To apply a multidimensional concept of accessibility using Floating-Catchment-Area-Methods (FCA).
• To provide a data-driven basis for strategic decisions in the animal health sector.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Floating-Catchment-Area-Methods (FCA) for accessibility analysis, independent of administrative boundaries.
• Employed Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for data visualization and spatial analysis.
• Analyzed data on companion animal veterinary service providers and pet populations (dogs and cats) in Switzerland.

Main Results:

• Generated interactive maps illustrating the density and spatial accessibility of veterinary services.
• Demonstrated high spatial accessibility in urban centers and agglomerations on the Central Plateau.
• Identified lower spatial accessibility to veterinary services in peripheral and rural areas for companion animals.

Conclusions:

• The study highlights significant geographical disparities in veterinary care accessibility in Switzerland.
• FCA methods provide a robust framework for assessing healthcare access beyond traditional metrics.
• Results offer valuable insights for stakeholders to optimize veterinary service distribution and strategic planning.