title: [Use of indicators of geographical accessibility to primary health care centers in addressing inequities].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Characterize geographical indicators in relation to their usefulness in measuring regional inequities, identify and describe areas according to their degree of geographical accessibility to primary health care centers (PHCCs), and detect populations at risk from the perspective of access to primary care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis of spatial accessibility using geographic information systems (GIS) involved three aspects: population without medical coverage, distribution of PHCCs, and the public transportation network connecting them.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The development of indicators of demand (real, potential, and differential) and analysis of territorial factors affecting population mobility enabled the characterization of PHCCs with regard to their environment, thereby contributing to local and regional analysis and to the detection of different zones according to regional connectivity levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Indicators developed in a GIS environment were very useful in analyzing accessibility to PHCCs by vulnerable populations. Zoning the region helped identify inequities by differentiating areas of unmet demand and fragmentation of spatial connectivity between PHCCs and public transportation.
authors.affiliation: Dirección Nacional de Determinantes de la Salud e Investigación, Ministerio de Salud de la Nación, Buenos Aires, Argentina, depietrid@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: De Pietri
authors.affiliation: Centro de Información Metropolitana, Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Urbanismo, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dietrich
authors.affiliation: Centro de Información Metropolitana, Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Urbanismo, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mayo
authors.affiliation: Centro de Información Metropolitana, Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Urbanismo, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carcagno
authors.affiliation: Dirección Nacional de Determinantes de la Salud e Investigación, Ministerio de Salud de la Nación, Buenos Aires, Argentina, depietrid@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Titto
mesh_terms: D001118:Argentina; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D062305:Geographic Mapping; D006268:Health Facilities / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D014186:Transportation / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data