Potential healthcare needs in Quebec’s elderly and supply of services: applying GIS tools to population health data

Hani A. Guend, Université du Québec à Montréal
Marie-Noëlle Rondeau, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS)

Although healthcare is the responsibility of the provinces in Canada, the federal government warrants universal access. Studies showed access depends on needs rather than ability to pay, thus the importance of the need characteristics. We aim to tease out the spatial differences in need and service supply at the provincial and sub-provincial levels. We apply standard statistical procedures to survey data to do a comparative analysis of potential needs of Quebec’s elderly. We also use GIS tools to map the predisposing characteristics of the elderly and conduct a point pattern analysis of available points of specialized services. The aim is to highlight potential departures between the needs and service availability. The results of the study highlight the differential effects of provincial health policies and programs on the availability of services for the elderly in a rapidly aging population. The extended abstract displays preliminary results of this ongoing research.