A geospatial examination of specialist care accessibility and impact on health outcomes for patients with acute traumatic spinal cord injury in New South Wales, Australia: a population record linkage study

This study looks at how easy it is for people in New South Wales, Australia, who have suffered a traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) to get specialist care. It uses maps and location data to see if where someone is injured affects how quickly they get to a specialist spinal cord injury unit (SCIU). The study found that even if people were injured close to a specialist unit, they weren't always taken there directly. This delay can lead to slower treatment and more complications. The researchers suggest that making sure people get to the right place quickly could improve their health outcomes and save the health system money. By using detailed location data, the researchers discovered that a significant number of patients are initially taken to non-specialist hospitals, even when a specialist SCIU is nearby. This detour delays necessary surgery and increases the risk of developing further health issues during their hospital stay.

• 1
  Over half (53%) of patients were injured within 60 minutes of a SCIU, but only 28.6% were directly transferred.
• 2
  Direct transfers to SCIU resulted in earlier operative intervention (median 12.9 hours) compared to indirect transfers (median 19.5 hours).
• 3
  Patients experiencing indirect transfer to SCIU had an increased risk of developing inpatient hospital complications compared with patients transferred directly to SCIU.