摘要:This short paper discusses a research framework for healthcare accessibility using cancer care as an example. The United States’ National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Centers (US-NCI-CCs) form the ‘backbone’ of the cancer care system in the United States, and their attendance is associated with better outcomes. Three interconnected themes are proposed for the study of US-NCI-CC accessibility: (1) measuring disparities in access to the US-NCI-CCs, (2) examining the pathway from accessibility to utilization of cancer care services and then to cancer outcomes (e.g. cancer-specific mortality), and (3) designing policy scenarios for minimal disparities in accessibility.
关键词:accessibility;NCI Cancer Centers;utilization of cancer care facility;cancer outcomes;optimization;minimal inequality