A Study on the Classification of the Transport Needs of Patients Seeking Medical Treatment in High-Density Cities Based on the Kano Model

Against the background of traffic conflicts arising due to the highly concentrated population in high-density cities, this study aims to systematically identify the core transport needs of patients awaiting medical treatment; based on the theory of the Kano model, we construct a measurement system relating to patient transport needs when awaiting medical treatment that encompasses multiple levels. Taking 10 large general hospitals in Guangzhou as samples, this study collected data through questionnaires and auxiliary interviews, using the importance–sensitivity analysis method to accurately measure the degree of patient needs for each influencing factor of the transport environment for medical treatment. The study found that, among the primary needs (core basic needs), the perfection of public transport (which directly affects the convenience of medical care) is the core need with the highest degree of demand. Among the second-level needs (refined categorised demand levels), specifically relating to important attributes (essential needs), priority attention should be given to patient diversion, hospital–city connection, and corridor settings. As concerns the high value-added one-dimensional attributes (desired needs), focus should be placed on controlling health and safety distances and guiding the flow of medical treatment, while for high glamour attributes (glamour needs), primary consideration should be given to crowd distribution, stopping and resting, and direct access to the ground floor. The group difference analysis (grouped by emotional state, transport mode, and group type) showed that the first-level demand sensitivity ranking was highly consistent, and the second-level demand for urban connectivity, convenient transfer, and direct underground access were also common priorities. This study is the first to introduce the Kano model into the analysis of high-density urban healthcare transport systems, providing a clear basis for the grading of demand for the design of the transport environment for patients’ medical care. This is of great practical value for alleviating congestion and improving the resilience of emergency response in mega-cities in relation to medical care.