The enhanced two-step floating catchment area (E2SFCA) method is a widely used technique for measuring spatial accessibility to healthcare services. It calculates a ratio of service providers to population within a defined catchment area, considering both supply and demand. For example, a physician-to-population ratio is computed for each catchment, weighted by distance or travel time. These ratios are then summed for each location where population resides, resulting in an accessibility score representing the availability of services within reach. Variations exist, including the three-step floating catchment area (3SFCA) method, which incorporates an additional step to adjust for the possibility of patients seeking care outside their immediate neighborhood.
Accessibility metrics like E2SFCA offer valuable insights into the distribution of healthcare resources and potential disparities in service access. These metrics support data-driven decision-making in healthcare planning and resource allocation, aiding policymakers and researchers in identifying underserved areas and evaluating the effectiveness of interventions. Developed in the early 2000s as an improvement upon simpler catchment area methods, E2SFCA addresses the issue of fixed catchment boundaries by allowing catchment sizes to vary based on factors like travel time and population density, offering a more nuanced and realistic representation of access.
