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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 48(6)

Spatial clusters of potentially preventable hospitalisations and access to allied health services in South Western Sydney: a geospatial study

Janelle Gifford https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2852-1564 A B C * , Soumya Mazumdar D , Matthew Jennings E , Bin Jalaludin B C F and Sarah Dennis A B C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Sydney School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Susan Wakil Health Building, Western Avenue, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.

B South Western Sydney Local Health District, Liverpool, NSW 2170, Australia.

C Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, NSW 2170, Australia.

D Health Research Institute, University of Canberra, Bruce, ACT 2617, Australia.

E Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, NSW 2170, Australia.

F School of Population Health, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia.

* Correspondence to: Janelle.gifford@sydney.edu.au

Australian Health Review 48(6) 648-655 https://doi.org/10.1071/AH24200
Submitted: 2 December 2023  Accepted: 9 September 2024  Published: 1 October 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of AHHA.

Abstract

Objective

To explore the association between geographic access to allied health services and potentially preventable hospitalisations.

Methods

This is a retrospective observational study. Adults aged 18 years or older with a potentially preventable hospitalisation for a chronic condition(s) to a public hospital in South Western Sydney Local Health District between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2019 were identified from the Secure Analytic for Population Health and Intelligence portal at NSW Health. Locations of allied health amenities or practices in the same geographic area were identified from the 2019 National Health Service Directory. Geospatial analysis was used to identify geographic hotspots and coldspots of potentially preventable hospitalisations. Association with access to allied health services was investigated using linear models.

Results

Hotspots of potentially preventable hospitalisations were significantly more disadvantaged than coldspots. Hotspots also had poorer access to allied health services than coldspots.

Conclusion

In South Western Sydney, populations with higher burden of chronic disease, as measured through preventable hospitalisations, have poorer access to allied health services than populations with lesser need.

Keywords: allied health, coldspots, geospatial analysis, hotspots, preventable hospitalisations, primary care access.

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