A Study on the Relationship Between the Locational Characteristics of Oriental Medicine Hospitals and the Number of Patients

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between the locational characteristics of areas surrounding oriental medicine hospitals and the number of patients who visited study hospitals. Administrative data collected from the annual report of 5 ward offices in Daejeon used to assess the geographical attributes. Two oriental medicine hospitals operated in Daejeon provided data for the number of inpatient and outpatient. Number of patients who visited study hospitals was calculated in each Dong which is the smallest administrative district. The geographical attributes of Daejeon were evaluated by the demographic and economic factors which were assumed to influence the health care demand. Each criterion was measured from each Dong. Weights of factors was calculated by Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. Evaluation scores which representing the geographical attributes of Dong was computed by multiplying the eight factors and weights. Results showed positive correlation coefficients between the evaluation scores of Dong and the number of patients. One hospital which was more closely located to areas with high evaluation scores had higher number of patients than that of the other hospital. Buffering analysis with varying size support the analysis results. This finding proposed the importance of location for the management of oriental medicine hospitals in a metropolitan city. Applying study model to other cities will enhance the validity of study results.