title: Using a geographic information system to enhance patient access to point-of-care diagnostics in a limited-resource setting.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rapid and accurate diagnosis drives evidence-based care in health. Point-of-care testing (POCT) aids diagnosis by bringing advanced technologies closer to patients. Health small-world networks are constrained by natural connectivity in the interactions between geography of resources and social forces. Using a geographic information system (GIS) we can understand how populations utilize their health networks, visualize their inefficiencies, and compare alternatives.
  
  
  METHODS
  This project focuses on cardiac care resource in rural Isaan, Thailand. A health care access analysis was created using ArcGIS Network Analyst 10.1 from data representing aggregated population, roads, health resource facilities, and diagnostic technologies. The analysis quantified cardiac health care access and identified ways to improve it using both widespread and resource-limited strategies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results indicated that having diagnostic technologies closer to populations streamlines critical care paths. GIS allowed us to compare the effectiveness of the implementation strategies and put into perspective the benefits of adopting rapid POCT within health networks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Geospatial analyses derive high impact by improving alternative diagnostic placement strategies in limited-resource settings and by revealing deficiencies in health care access pathways. Additionally, the GIS provides a platform for comparing relative costs, assessing benefits, and improving outcomes. This approach can be implemented effectively by health ministries seeking to enhance cardiac care despite limited resources.
authors.affiliation: UC Davis Point of Care Testing Center for Teaching and Research, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, 3488 Tupper Hall, Davis, CA, 95616, USA. wjfergus@gmail.com.
authors.forename: William J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Ferguson
authors.affiliation: Spatial Sciences Institute, Dana and Davis Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. kakemp@usc.edu.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kemp
authors.affiliation: UC Davis Point of Care Testing Center for Teaching and Research, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, 3488 Tupper Hall, Davis, CA, 95616, USA. gjkost@ucdavis.edu.
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kost
mesh_terms: D040362:Geographic Information Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006295:Health Resources / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology