Abstract:

Objective: To assess the spatial accessibility of pediatric healthcare resources in Beijing and to develop an optimization model for resource allocation under a fixed additional resource constraint, with the aim of exploring optimal allocation strategies for 2025 and 2030. Methods: Using communities as the unit of analysis, this study integrated data on Beijing ' s child population in 2020 and pediatric healthcare resources in 2022. An improved two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method was applied to measure spatial accessibility. Based on projected child population data for 2025 and 2030, an optimization model was constructed to minimize regional disparities in accessibility. Under the constraint of a fixed total number of additional resources, optimal spatial allocation schemes were derived and compared with a conventional population-based allocation approach. Results: In 2022, Beijing had 4 704 pediatric beds and 4 011 pediatric physicians. The mean spatial accessibility for pediatric beds and pediatric physicians was 1.17 and 0.97, respectively, with a standard deviation of 2.78 for bed accessibility, exhibiting a clear spatial pattern of higher accessibility in central districts and lower accessibility in suburban districts. In the same year, the number of pediatric physicians per 1 000 children in Beijing reached 1.52, already exceeding the targets for 2025 and 2030; therefore, no additional increase in total physician numbers was required. Under the 2025 optimization scenario, the mean accessibility of pediatric beds increased to 1.68, with the standard deviation declining to 2.45, indicating a reduction in regional disparities. Under the 2030 scenario, the mean accessibility further increased to 2. 31, with a standard deviation of 2.56, reflecting continued improvement in accessibility. The optimization model identified Daxing District, Tongzhou District, and Mentougou District as priority districts for additional bed allocation, whereas the conventional population-based approach allocated more resources to Daxing District, Haidian District, and Tongzhou District. While the two approaches showed general consistency in overall spatial allocation, the optimization model more effectively addressed inter-district disparities in accessibility. Conclusion: Significant spatial disparities were identified in the distribution of pediatric healthcare resources in Beijing. The accessibility-oriented optimization approach, under a fixed resource constraint, improved the alignment between supply and demand and reduced regional inequities. It served as a useful complement to conventional population-based allocation methods and provided quantitative evidence to support refined planning and dynamic adjustment of pediatric healthcare resources. Given that the total number of pediatric physicians has already met national targets, leveraging integrated medical consortium and multi-site practice policies to promote the mobility of qualified pediatric physicians toward underserved areas represents a promising pathway toward structural optimization of spatial resource distribution.

Key words: Pediatric resources, Spatial accessibility, Resource allocation, Optimization