Accessibility to palliative care services in Colombia: an analysis of geographic disparities

Autores organización

• 

  Miguel Antonio Sanchez Cardenas

  Autor

• 

  Lina María Vargas Escobar

  Autor

• Genny Paola Fuentes Bermudez

  Autor

Autores

• León M.X.
• Rodríguez-Campos L.F.
• Cabezas L.
• Tamayo-Díaz J.P.
• Piñeros A.C.
• Mantilla-Manosalva N.

Unidades de investigación

• Cuidado de la Salud y Calidad de Vida

  

  Investigador

  Miguel Antonio Sanchez Cardenas

• Salud y Sociedad UEB

  Investigador

  Olga Stella Diaz Usme

Resumen

Objectives: Due to the increase in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases and the Colombian demographic transition, the necessity of palliative care has arisen. This study used accessibility and coverage indicators to measure the geographic barriers to palliative care. Methods: Population-based observational study focused on urban areas and adult population from Colombia, which uses three measurements of geographic accessibility to services: a) density of palliative care services per 100,000 inhabitants, b) analysis of geographic distribution by territorial nodes of the country, and c) spatial analysis of palliative care services using Voronoi diagrams. ArcGIS Pro software was used to map services’ locations and identify geographic disparities. Results: A total of 504 palliative care services were identified, of which 77% were primary health care services. The density of palliative care services in Colombia is 1.8 primary care services per 100,000 inhabitants and 0.4 specialized services per 100,000 inhabitants. The average palliative care coverage is 41%, two regions of the country have a coverage below 30%. Twenty-eight percent of the services provide care for a population greater than 50,000 inhabitants within their coverage area, exceeding the acceptable limit by international standards. Conclusions: Palliative care services are concentrated in three main regions (Bogotá D.C., the Center, and the Caribbean) and are limited in the Orinoquia and Amazonia nodes. Density of specialized palliative care services is extremely low and there are regions without palliative services for adults with palliative needs. © The Author(s) 2024.

Keywords

• Colombia; Health services accessibility; Healthcare disparities; Palliative Care; Palliative care services; Voronoi diagram;Adult; Colombia; Health Services Accessibility; Healthcare Disparities; Humans; Palliative Care; Primary Health Care; Spatial Analysis; adult; Colombia; health care access; health care disparity; human; palliative therapy; primary health care; spatial analysis