Defining rurality: a General Practice Rurality Index for Canada

Table 2. Definitions of terms used in GPRI
Advanced referral centre
Closest major metropolitan area with registered subspecialists in cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery, pediatric surgery, radiation oncology and hematology
Basic referral centre
Closest community with registered specialists in general internal medicine, general surgery, ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery and radiology
Community
Any city, town or village with a centre identified on an official government road map; does not include areas, districts, counties or regions without an identifiable community centre
Distances
Shortest route in kilometres by paved road from the centre of one community to the centre of another; if no paved road, use the shorter of the unpaved road multiplied by 2 or, in the case of boat or airplane travel, the water distance multiplied by 4 or the air distance as the crow flies
Drawing population
The community population plus the area population that regularly uses the community GPs for primary care; if a community has at least one GP, the whole population of that community is assumed to see the local GP(s) for its primary care, so that population should not be included in the drawing population of any other community
General practitioner
Any licensed physician working full time who is not registered as a specialist by the provincial licensing authority


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