A Distribution Strategy for Imaging Centers in the Costa Rican Public Health System

摘要

The purpose of this work was to develop a strategy for distributing the imaging services of the Costa Rican Public Health System, towards the improvement of a more equitable access to the entire population of the country. That for, different aspects were considered such as the type and number of the imaging equipment available in the health care centers, as well as the distance and time that take to travel to get the service in the Capital, among others. These aspects were weighted and included in to a mathematical function, which result is an indicator that considers the conditions of the current imaging service and the community access to it. The indicator was applied to eight different regions, and the results showed in which of these were necessary to enhance the infrastructure and resources of its imaging services, in order to provide a more equitable service across the country.