A region may lack one or more healthcare services. These are referred to as deserts.
A desert may be defined based on the time for the patient to get to the nearest provider. This may or may not correlate with the total distance. For example, an ambulance desert has been defined as being > 25 minutes from an ambulance service. This may be exacerbated in the winter or other bad weather conditions.
Affected services:
(1) ambulance
(2) trauma centers
(3) inpatient services
(4) specialty services
(5) outpatient services
(6) pharmacies
Locations affected:
(1) rural or other low-population density areas
(2) remote or inaccessible areas
(3) urban areas where crime and other factors make providing healthcare hazardous
Some services can be compensated for by helicopter transport and telemedicine, but others do not have an easy solution.
Some deserts may be temporary if all available resources are full or being used, suggesting marginal coverage.
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