An Overview on the Applications of Spatial Analyses in the Management and Allocation of Hemodialysis Services

Introduction: The prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) reached about 13.4% in 2016. Among available treatment methods, hemodialysis is the most common way used for the treatment of patients with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), the last stage of CKD. On average, these patients refer to hemodialysis centers three times a week. The high patients referral rate indicates the importance of proper management and planning as well as the optimal and efficient allocation of hemodialysis resources. Method: This overview study was conducted to investigate the applications of spatial analyses in the management and allocation of hemodialysis resources. By designing a search strategy, related articles indexed in the MEDLINE database, were reviewed. Results: Studies related to spatial analysis in the field of hemodialysis can be categorized into three groups including: 1) measurement of access to hemodialysis centers, 2) relationship between access to these centers and mortality as well as patients' quality of life, and 3) allocation of hemodialysis resources in a geographical area. Conclusion: Spatial analysis as a geographical information system-based methodology, can be used for analyzing data associated with hemodialysis centers to optimize resources management and help policymakers to make better informed decisions in this area. Most of the studies investigated the access to hemodialysis centers and the relationship between access to these centers and mortality as well as the patient's quality of life. However, few studies have been conducted on the optimal allocation of hemodialysis resources in a geographical area.