Abstract
PURPOSE Integrating social care into clinical care requires substantial resources. Use of existing data through a geographic information system (GIS) has the potential to support efficient and effective integration of social care into clinical settings. We conducted a scoping literature review characterizing its use in primary care settings to identify and address social risk factors.
METHODS In December 2018, we searched 2 databases and extracted structured data for eligible articles that (1) described the use of GIS in clinical settings to identify and/or intervene on social risks, (2) were published between December 2013 and December 2018, and (3) were based in the United States. Additional studies were identified by examining references.
RESULTS Of the 5,574 articles included for review, 18 met study eligibility criteria: 14 (78%) were descriptive studies, 3 (17%) tested an intervention, and 1 (6%) was a theoretical report. All studies used GIS to identify social risks (increase awareness); 3 studies (17%) described interventions to address social risks, primarily by identifying relevant community resources and aligning clinical services to patients’ needs.
CONCLUSIONS Most studies describe associations between GIS and population health outcomes; however, there is a paucity of literature regarding GIS use to identify and address social risk factors in clinical settings. GIS technology may assist health systems seeking to address population health outcomes through alignment and advocacy; its current application in clinical care delivery is infrequent and largely limited to referring patients to local community resources.
- geographic information systems
- geospatial data
- geography, medical
- social determinants of health
- social risk factors
- disparities
- needs assessment
- health information technology
- population health
- vulnerable populations
Footnotes
Conflicts of interest: Dr Persell receives unrelated research support from Omron Healthcare Co. The other authors report no conflicts.
Funding support: This work was funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) under cooperative agreement UH1HP29963.
Disclaimer: The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the US Government.
- Received for publication May 24, 2022.
- Revision received August 22, 2022.
- Accepted for publication September 20, 2022.
- © 2023 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.