Geographic Information Systems Can Enhance Crisis Standards of Care During Complex Emergencies and Disasters

Abstract

We hypothesize that a medical geographical information system (GIS) can improve medical response during complex emergencies and disasters by facilitating the strategic placement and management of point-of-care (POC) technologies within a small-world network (SWN). Point-of-care testing is defined as testing at or near the site of patient care. An SWN is a loosely tied and well-connected, but not necessarily evenly connected, set of nodes (vertices or system elements) in a scale-free network with a topology that is neither completely regular nor entirely random. Point-of-care technology, when properly placed in SWNs, can improve medical and economic outcomes during crises and also enhance daily health care delivery by promoting rapid response and faster therapeutic turnaround time. A GIS reveals patterns, relationships, and trends through the analysis of information as it pertains to its location on earth to improve efficiency, communication, and decision making. A GIS can help disaster managers make critical decisions by integrating, coordinating, and synthesizing medical and spatial data. Therefore, by combining these 3 strategies to overcome challenges associated with the implementation of POC testing directly in field sites, the GIS-POC-SWN approach will speed informed decision making, optimize POC medical intelligence, and enhance crisis standards of care.