Mapping the distribution of general practitioners and their billing pattern in the Toowoomba District

Abstract

General practitioners in the medical field are one of the most important services required for the treatment of different illnesses. However, due to the shortage of general practitioners in rural towns across Australia, a more even ratio of doctors to residents may ease the pressure on doctors as is the case in Toowoomba. This project investigates the current state of the general practitioner distribution and population density in Toowoomba using GIS technology. A survey of the Toowoomba region provided information with respect to the location of the doctors, the population that each doctor, hypothetically would need to tend to, and the doctors' consultation charges. An analysis of the general practitioners' distribution considered spatially-related factors, including traffic density near the surgeries, transportation facilities, proximity to commercial centres and the population density surrounding the surgery, to explain the distribution of doctors in the Toowoomba region. Spatial proximity of general practitioners to the Central Business District (CBD), commercial centres, and the associated transportation facilities affect the distribution of patients per doctor, with the analysis providing evidence that patients are more likely to take advantage of the convenience of these services. Also, demographic activity was identified as a significant factor which impacted on the distribution of general practitioners. These significant factors have contributed to the issue of a shortage of doctors within the region, which may be alleviated with the application of GIS technology for the future planning of a more effective distribution of general practitioners within the population, taking into consideration the above factors that the general public value.