Overview
The data amplification project involves the creation of population catchments and associated catchment profiles for rural communities in British Columbia. Broadly, a population catchment is the geographic area around a service point, and a catchment population is the number of people living within that geographic area. Catchments can be defined using a variety of criteria and methods, however in this project, catchments are defined based on drive-time to a healthcare facility. A catchment approach is particularly effective in rural BC, as the mountainous and coastal terrain creates natural separation between communities, making it clear which health facility residents are most likely to visit. Our catchments have been created for communities in BC with catchment populations less than 25,000. Our approach, which is designed for the rural context, is intended to be complimentary to existing geographic health boundaries that are more effective for urban areas. The main objective of the data amplification project is to help facilitate a more effective use of rural data to assist community members and physicians with quality improvement, and to ultimately achieve better health outcomes.
Goals
1. Create population catchments around rural health service points
Population catchments were created in ArcGIS and are defined based on a 1-hour drive-time to a rural healthcare facility. To data, population catchments have been created for 38 rural communities in BC that have a hospital and a catchment population of less than 25,000.
2. Describe a catchment population and the services needed to serve that population
The population belonging to each catchment is estimated using Canadian census data. Catchment populations are based on the most recent census, which took place in 2021, however, catchment populations have also been estimated for 2006, 2011, and 2016, to observe population change over time. We obtain several other census variables, such as age groups, to better describe the demographics of catchment population. We compile this demographic data, along with a variety of other information relevant to a catchment community, in a catchment profile created on Power BI.
3. Use catchment data to answer research questions
Being able to define the catchment for a facility allows for further research into system efficacy. Catchments provide a basis for the development of needs-based measures that quantify the appropriate level of health services for a population. For example, we have developed the Rural Birth Index (RBI) and applied it to our catchments, to describe population need for maternity services.
Hospital Catchments
Catchments are created in ArcGIS Pro using the service area analysis feature from the Network Analyst extension. We have created catchments around rural hospitals in BC based on a 1-hour drive time to the facility. The population of each catchment is then calculated using Canadian census data. The 38 catchments that contain a hospital and have a catchment population under 25,000, are pictured on the map below. Since this approach is designed specifically for rural, hospitals in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, and Southern Vancouver Island were immediately excluded from our project.
Catchment Profiles
Using Power BI, we have created Catchment Profiles for all the catchment communities. The Catchment Profiles Dashboard outlines the data available for each catchment. Data is sorted into three overarching categories: Overview (blue), Research (yellow), and Environmental (green). Each category has a series of pages with various information relevant to each community. The image below shows the pages that are currently in development.
