Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Vehicle access, travel time, and distance to hospitals and emergency rooms with sufficient patient beds are critical healthcare accessibility measures, especially for children who require specific pediatric services. The results showed disparities in accessing emergency pediatric care, especially in rural areas.
However, despite major metro areas recording better geographical accessibility to pediatric healthcare, residents in these areas may experience limited hospital bed availability. The findings indicate an urgent need for more pediatric healthcare services in rural Texas. Given the increasing population growth in metro areas and their surroundings, there is also a need for the expansion of healthcare infrastructure in these areas.
Respiratory and viral infections are among the most common reasons for emergency visits and can sometimes be time-sensitive and potentially life-threatening, especially for children under five [ 2 ]. Meanwhile, many emergency departments do not have the proper equipment and specialized physicians to help pediatric patients [ 3 , 4 ]. A nationwide surge in cases of respiratory syncytial virus RSV highlighted this need for adequate pediatric hospital care, as many hospitals were pushed to capacity [ 5 ].
This problem impacted Texas, as more emergency room visits and hospital admissions led to pediatric hospital bed shortages across the state [ 6 ]. In addition to viral and infectious diseases, which require immediate access to a hospital with a pediatric emergency unit, chronic diseases such as childhood cancer and newborn complications do not require urgent access to an emergency room, but they do require frequent access to a hospital that provides specialized pediatric care [ 8 ].
Scholars across many disciplinary perspectives have examined access to healthcare as an essential indicator of human health and well-being [ 10 , 11 , 12 ]. Geographic accessibility is a major dimension of healthcare delivery [ 13 , 14 ].
