Fig. 3

Spatiotemporal hotspot patterns of Chinese county-level hospital beds detected with the emerging hot spot analysis. Consecutive cold spot: Hospital beds consistently at a low level. Consecutive hot spot: Hospital beds consistently at a high level. Diminishing hot spot: Initially high hospital bed levels with a statistically significant decrease in intensity over an extended period. Intensifying hot spot: Hospital beds consistently at a high level for at least 9 years with a statistically significant increase in intensity. New hot spot: Hospital beds showing high values for the first time in the last year, previously not identified as hot spots. Sporadic hot spot: Statistically significant hotspots of hospital beds occurring intermittently and irregularly over multiple years. Persistent hot spot: Sustained high intensity of hospital beds over a long period without a statistically significant increase