Investigation of relationship between spatial distribution of medical equipment and preventable mortality

Abstract

The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between the spatial distribution of the selected medical equipment and the preventable mortality rate in the regions of the Slovak Republic. The main analytical approach is carried out through the cluster analysis based on a Euclidean distance technique in order to get similarity of the administrative divisions in form of a district and a pseudot2 approach aimed at the determination of a number of the districts in a cluster. A number of medical equipment had a rising tendency from the year 2008. The most extreme position according to a localisation distribution of the computed tomographs and the magnetic resonance imaging scanners is held by the Košice IV District at the level of 7.50630. From an angle of view of the preventable mortality, the Piešt’any District holds the most extreme position peaking at the level of 10.97969 for the female sex and the Kežmarok District with the value of 9.44088. The study has the significant dissemination outputs for health policy interventions, especially to draw up regional health plans for computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging deployment, mainly in locations with a high preventable mortality rate for both sexes. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Slovak Research and Development AgencySlovak Research and Development Agency [APVV-17-0360