Department of Medical Informatics, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
École de Santé Publique de L'Université de Montréal (ESPUM), Québec, Montréal, Canada.
Int J Health Geogr. 2022 Aug 4;21(1):8. doi: 10.1186/s12942-022-00308-1.
Geographic Information System (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS), vital tools for supporting public health research, provide a framework to collect, analyze and visualize the interaction between different levels of the health care system. The extent to which GIS and GPS applications have been used in dementia care and research is not yet investigated. This scoping review aims to elaborate on the role and types of GIS and GPS applications in dementia care and research.
A scoping review was conducted based on Arksey and O'Malley's framework. All published articles in peer-reviewed journals were searched in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, subject to involving at least one GIS/GPS approach focused on dementia. Eligible studies were reviewed, grouped, and synthesized to identify GIS and GPS applications. The PRISMA standard was used to report the study.
Ninety-two studies met our inclusion criteria, and their data were extracted. Six types of GIS/GPS applications had been reported in dementia literature including mapping and surveillance (n = 59), data preparation (n = 26), dementia care provision (n = 18), basic research (n = 18), contextual and risk factor analysis (n = 4), and planning (n = 1). Thematic mapping and GPS were most frequently used techniques in the dementia field.
Even though the applications of GIS/GPS methodologies in dementia care and research are growing, there is limited research on GIS/GPS utilization in dementia care, risk factor analysis, and dementia policy planning. GIS and GPS are space-based systems, so they have a strong capacity for developing innovative research based on spatial analysis in the area of dementia. The existing research has been summarized in this review which could help researchers to know the GIS/GPS capabilities in dementia research.
地理信息系统（GIS）和全球定位系统（GPS）是支持公共卫生研究的重要工具，为收集、分析和可视化医疗保健系统不同层次之间的相互作用提供了框架。GIS 和 GPS 应用在痴呆症护理和研究中的应用程度尚未得到调查。本范围综述旨在详细阐述 GIS 和 GPS 应用在痴呆症护理和研究中的作用和类型。
根据 Arksey 和 O'Malley 的框架进行了范围综述。在 PubMed、Scopus 和 Web of Science 中搜索了所有发表在同行评议期刊上的文章，前提是至少涉及一项专注于痴呆症的 GIS/GPS 方法。对合格研究进行了审查、分组和综合，以确定 GIS 和 GPS 应用。本研究采用 PRISMA 标准进行报告。
符合纳入标准的 92 项研究的数据被提取。痴呆症文献中有 6 种类型的 GIS/GPS 应用，包括制图和监测（n=59）、数据准备（n=26）、痴呆症护理提供（n=18）、基础研究（n=18）、背景和风险因素分析（n=4）和规划（n=1）。主题制图和 GPS 是痴呆症领域最常用的技术。
尽管 GIS/GPS 方法在痴呆症护理和研究中的应用正在增加，但在痴呆症护理、风险因素分析和痴呆症政策规划方面，GIS/GPS 的利用研究有限。GIS 和 GPS 是基于空间的系统，因此它们具有很强的能力，可以在痴呆症领域基于空间分析开展创新性研究。本综述总结了现有研究，这可以帮助研究人员了解 GIS/GPS 在痴呆症研究中的能力。
