Navigating healthcare;  A study on the motivations influencing the amount of time people are willing to  travel to access healthcare in the Netherlands.

This study aims to investigate the factors influencing people’s choices for where to access healthcare beyond proximity, focusing specifically on waiting times, quality of care, familiarity of care, accessibility, and specialisation. By using a crosssectional, within-subjects, and correlational study design this study has tried to answer the research questions; What is the relative importance of waiting times, quality of care, familiarity of care, accessibility, and specialisation for the time people are willing to travel to healthcare in the Netherlands? And what are the relative effects of these factors on minimum acceptable travel time? Results of a questionnaire with 71 respondents show that quality of care and specialisation significantly affect people's willingness to travel longer to healthcare the most. In contrast, familiarity of care is found to be the least important and people are willing to travel the least long for this. The results suggest that healthcare...Show moreThis study aims to investigate the factors influencing people’s choices for where to access healthcare beyond proximity, focusing specifically on waiting times, quality of care, familiarity of care, accessibility, and specialisation. By using a crosssectional, within-subjects, and correlational study design this study has tried to answer the research questions; What is the relative importance of waiting times, quality of care, familiarity of care, accessibility, and specialisation for the time people are willing to travel to healthcare in the Netherlands? And what are the relative effects of these factors on minimum acceptable travel time? Results of a questionnaire with 71 respondents show that quality of care and specialisation significantly affect people's willingness to travel longer to healthcare the most. In contrast, familiarity of care is found to be the least important and people are willing to travel the least long for this. The results suggest that healthcare specialization can be justified and that quality of care and specialisation can be prioritized over waiting times, accessibility, and familiarity of care where needed. This study's results can be used as insights for healthcare providers and urban planners to meet Dutch residents' healthcare preferences and ensure efficient resource allocation. Future research should delve deeper into the other motivations affecting travel time for healthcare and incorporate the results of this study into spatial data to expand on these recommendations.Show less

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Navigating healthcare; A study on the motivations influencing the amount of time people are willing to travel to access healthcare in the Netherlands.