Technology is regarded as the leading force behind healthcare advancements. In healthcare analysis, the geographic information system (GIS) has continued to be used in public health to track child immunization, conduct research on health policy, and establish service areas. GIS answers questions like Where do people live? Where is the beginning of disease? And where are the springs? Researchers can easily use GIS to answer these questions and in some instances can provide answers to other public health-related questions because maps created through GIS can help show patterns between things like starting points of disease, risk factors, and their sources.
GIS provides healthcare professionals with the ability to understand health trends and take targeted actions based predominantly on those outcomes. The data that GIS collects are then georeferenced and mapped. Healthcare specialists can envision patient locations and decide whether there are cancer-type clusters associated with similar conditions of work or residential areas. With the rapid increase in the number of non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, GIS provides healthcare professionals with a way to address systematically where certain diseases are more likely to occur and can begin to implement preventive strategies in staffing healthcare professionals.
Not only do GIS systems monitor, but they also use geography and other essential inputs effectively to pinpoint where diseases are most likely to spread next. Data like this may be indispensable for people working on the ground to save lives as it allows them to prepare for disease in advance and can severely limit the impact. GIS-based maps, for example, can help analyze the spread of infectious diseases such as flu and measles to understand disease spread better.
Location-enabled devices are a lifesaver for people with memory loss or disorientation, especially dementias such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's, and autism. Wearable GPS tracking makes it possible to find seniors quickly and safely. GIS has the potential to identify long-term geographic trends in the health of certain populations or individuals living in certain regions.
Health care is a highly dynamic field. The data is continuously updated and this needs to be reflected by the analytics. GIS can provide the tools to map, view, and analyze data over time. It is a sophisticated technology that has been used effectively to help address a wide range of healthcare issues ranging from disease management to the delivery of healthcare services. The benefits are likely to increase as more and more healthcare professionals and researchers embrace and integrate GIS into their work.
Using GIS technology know-how can empower community leaders and healthcare workers to work closely with hospitals and take larger measures to address healthcare needs across the country.
