The goal of RHSRNbc’s data amplification project is to build a system of data and information to support better rural health service planning and supportive programming at the rural service population catchment level, where the needs of the population intersect with local services. There are 4 main objectives of the project:
- To map population catchments for each RSA (Rural Subsidiary Agreement) community facility in British Columbia, linking residents’ location to the closest appropriate service catchment facility based on surface travel time (access);
- To describe each catchment’s population demographically and ecologically (vulnerability);
- To link each service site and associated catchment with utilization outcomes, interventions, and health outcomes across a range of services (e.g. primary care, emergency services, emergency transfers, maternity care), and
- To create online community profiles which provide user-friendly access to local-level information for providers, administrators, researchers, and policy makers.
This approach allows for the systematization of the diversity of rural communities and service sites, based on population need. This will eventually support planning decisions related to healthcare planning. Data will be presented using Power BI, which allows for easy interpretation of varied and disperse data sources.
To learn more about the approach to creating catchment populations, visit our GIS Catchment Tool page. To view an example community profile, visit our Community Profiles page.
