Differences in Traffic Attraction and Mechanisms of Influencing Factors for Two Types of Large Hospitals in China

Large hospitals in China typically face high-density patient flows, highly concentrated medical service demands, and significant impacts on surrounding transportation systems. To explore this issue in depth, this study selected a sample of 135 hospitals from the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region and constructed a structural equation model based on multi-source data to empirically analyze the key factors and mechanisms influencing traffic attraction for different types of hospitals. The findings reveal that medical level is the most critical factor affecting hospital traffic attraction, with significant differences in the factor pathways between general hospitals and specialized hospitals. For general hospitals, hospital size remains an important factor, but the influence of traffic attraction has shifted from traditional static indicators such as construction area and number of beds to more dynamic service diversity indicators, such as the number of medical departments. For specialized hospitals, the second most influential factor is traffic accessibility, particularly the availability of parking spaces, which significantly impacts their traffic attraction, reflecting patients’ strong demand for convenient transportation when accessing specialized care. This study highlights the dynamic evolution of traffic attraction factors across different hospital types and provides new insights and theoretical support for optimizing hospital transportation planning and resource allocation.