Is NHS dentistry in crisis? 'Traffic light' maps of dentists distribution in England and Wales

Abstract

Background: 'Traffic light' (red-yellow-green) maps are potentially powerful tools for 'at a glance' problem detection, for optimising resource allocation/reallocation, setting priorities, and targeting interventions to areas most in need. The maps can be also used for administrative area comparisons and performance monitoring over time. Interactive Web versions of the maps can be generated with many handy features to further empower organisations and decision makers. Methodological issues to consider when creating 'traffic light' maps include hue thresholding, data timeliness and stability of administrative boundaries.

Catchments of general practice in different countries– a literature review

“…Limitations in the strength of the 2SFCA method are acknowledged by reviewers and even advocates of the method. For example, as Guagliardo notes [ 83 ], it is intuitive that communities located at insurmountable distances from any source of healthcare will be negatively impacted by the lack of resources. Both Guagliardo [ 83 ] and Higgs [ 62 ] note that critics have commented that daily activity spaces, such as where patients work, may be more representative of an individual’s location than residential address.…”

“…For example, as Guagliardo notes [ 83 ], it is intuitive that communities located at insurmountable distances from any source of healthcare will be negatively impacted by the lack of resources. Both Guagliardo [ 83 ] and Higgs [ 62 ] note that critics have commented that daily activity spaces, such as where patients work, may be more representative of an individual’s location than residential address. All three reviews recognise that a key limitation in modelling is the lack of available empirical data on “real” health service access behaviour and its relationship to geography.…”

Amperometric Gas Sensors: From Classical Industrial Health and Safety to Environmental Awareness and Public Health

“…While well understood and reliable, these sensors are not compatible with many modern applications as they are too large and require too much power. More recently there has been an explosion of interest in gas sensing at much lower sub-ppm to single ppb levels, driven by interest in environmental air quality monitoring (particularly with highly distributed, low cost devices) coupled with the growth of The Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable sensors for health (3)(4)(5). These modern movements are driving the development of amperometric sensors capable of meeting the size, power consumption, detection limit and sensitivity requirements of the IoT (e.g.…”