Geographic access to pediatric neurosurgeons in the USA: an analysis of sociodemographic factors

Purpose Geographic access to physicians has been shown to be unevenly distributed in the USA, with those in closer proximity having superior outcomes. The purpose of this study was to describe how geographic access to pediatric neurosurgeons varies across socioeconomic and demographic factors. Methods Actively practicing neurosurgeons were identified by matching several registries and membership logs. This data was used to find their primary practice locations and the distance the average person in a county must travel to visit a surgeon. Counties were categorized into "surgeon deserts" and "surgeon clusters," which were counties where providers were significantly further or closer to its residents, respectively, compared to the national average. These groups were also compared for differences in population characteristics using data obtained from the 2020 American Community Survey. Results A total of 439 pediatric neurosurgeons were identified. The average person in a surgeon desert and cluster was found to be 189.2 +/- 78.1 miles and 39.7 +/- 19.6 miles away from the nearest pediatric neurosurgeon, respectively. Multivariate analyses showed that higher Rural-Urban Continuum (RUC) codes (p < 0.001), and higher percentages of American Indian (p < 0.001) and Hispanic (p < 0.001) residents were independently associated with counties where the average person traveled significantly further to surgeons. Conclusion Patients residing in counties with greater RUC codes and higher percentages of American Indian and Hispanic residents on average need to travel significantly greater distances to access pediatric neurosurgeons.