Data and Methods
This mixed methods analysis combines the data used in the original spatial analyses reported on
in Cinnamon, Schuurman, and Crooks (2008; Cinnamon et al., 2009) and the qualitative interview
data mentioned above. As a reminder, the earlier model designed to determine those communities
that do not have specialized on-site palliative care most in need of enhancing palliative
care provision incorporated three distinct variables: (a) population, (b) isolation, and (c) vulnerability.
The three variables were standardized to a common scale of 0 to 1, with higher values
indicating greater suitability. Scale transformation was performed using the maximum score procedure
(Malczewski, 1999), in which the highest value becomes 1, and all other values fall
between 0 and 1 while retaining the proportional variation between values. The newly gathered
qualitative data set points to the inclusion of community readiness in the model. In this section,
we first introduce the specific qualitative community readiness variables that were discussed by
the participants and then move to identify their specific binary indicators for utilization in the
siting model. Where possible, quotations are used verbatim to illustrate issues relevant to the
variables. Those that best and most clearly illustrate the relevant issues have been selected for
inclusion in this section, which is in keeping with procedures for qualitative data interpretation
and reporting (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005).