Samarasundera Edgar, Walsh Thomas, Cheng Tao, Koenig Ariane, Jattansingh Kavita, Dawe Alex, Soljak Michael
Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Prim Health Care Res Dev. 2012 Jan;13(1):10-21. doi: 10.1017/S1463423611000417. Epub 2011 Oct 25.
The purpose of this paper is to review methods and tools for mapping, visualising and exploring geographic information to aid in primary health care (PHC) research and development.
Mapping and spatial analysis of indicators of locality health profiles and healthcare needs assessment are well-established facets of health services research and development. However, while there are a range of different methods and tools used for these purposes, non-specialists responsible for managing the use of such information systems may find knowing where to start and what can be done a relatively steep learning curve. In this review, health and sociodemographic datasets are used to illustrate some key methods, tools and organisational issues, and builds upon two recent reviews in this journal, respectively, focusing on geographic data sources and geographic concepts. Those familiar with mapping and spatial analysis should find this a useful review of current matters.
A thematic review is presented with illustrative case studies relevant to PHC. It begins with a section on visualising and interpreting geographic information. This is followed by a section critiquing analytical methods. Consideration is given to software and deployment issues in a third section. Content is based on domain knowledge of the authors as a team of geographic information scientists and a public health practitioner working in tandem, with its scope restricted to routine applications of mapping and analysis. Advanced techniques such as spatio-temporal modelling are not considered, neither are methodological technicalities, although guidance on further reading is provided.
Geographical perspectives are now playing a significant role in PHC delivery, and for those engaged in informatics and/or managing population-level care, understanding key geographic information systems methods and terminologies are important as is gaining greater familiarity with institutional aspects of implementation.
本文旨在综述用于绘制、可视化和探索地理信息的方法与工具，以助力初级卫生保健（PHC）的研究与发展。
对地区健康概况指标和医疗需求评估进行绘图及空间分析，是卫生服务研究与发展中已确立的方面。然而，尽管有一系列用于这些目的的不同方法和工具，但负责管理此类信息系统使用的非专业人员可能会发现，要知道从何处入手以及能做些什么，学习曲线相对较陡。在本综述中，利用健康和社会人口数据集来说明一些关键方法、工具及组织问题，并在本刊最近的两篇综述基础上进行拓展，这两篇综述分别聚焦地理数据源和地理概念。熟悉绘图和空间分析的人应会发现这是对当前问题的有益综述。
呈现一篇主题综述，并配有与初级卫生保健相关的说明性案例研究。首先是关于可视化和解读地理信息的部分。接着是对分析方法进行批判的部分。第三部分考虑软件和部署问题。内容基于作者团队作为地理信息科学家和公共卫生从业者协同工作的领域知识，其范围限于绘图和分析的常规应用。不考虑诸如时空建模等先进技术，也不涉及方法学技术细节，不过会提供进一步阅读的指导。
地理视角如今在初级卫生保健服务中发挥着重要作用，对于从事信息学和/或管理人群层面护理的人员而言，理解关键的地理信息系统方法和术语以及更加熟悉实施的机构层面都很重要。
