A Network-Based Cross-Sectional Geographic Examination of Access to Pediatric Dermatologists Across the US.

The geographic distribution of the US pediatric dermatologist workforce is imbalanced, leaving pediatric communities within regions of the country and entire states without access to pediatric dermatologic care. This study utilized geospatial mapping techniques to create 60-minute drive service areas around each of the 340 board-certified pediatric dermatologists found in the Society for Pediatric Dermatology's public database to determine how many US children aged 0 to 17 years have timely access to a pediatric dermatologist. Clear regional disparities exist, as 31.4% of the pediatric population resides beyond the one-hour drive of a pediatric dermatologist, and seven US states contain no pediatric dermatologist in the SPD database. These results can inform practitioners and advocates which pediatric communities are underserved and guide the deployment of targeted interventions to alleviate these inequities.