From Hull-House Maps and Papers to Geographic Information System (GIS) Applications: A Systematic Review for Utilization of GIS in a Social Work Grand Challenge of Closing the Health Gap.

Abstract

Dynamic tools and advanced techniques, including Geographic Information System (GIS), have been developed to help close the health gap, a social work grand challenge. Unfortunately, these tools are underutilized in the field of social work. To address this gap, a systematic review of 53 studies was conducted, revealing the use of GIS methodologies such as spatial analysis, data visualization, spatiotemporal analysis, and spatial proximity analysis. Using these GIS methodologies, studies aimed to address a wide range of issues including health risk factors, environmental impacts on mental health, health disparities, and access to services. Five key themes emerged: environmental impact on health, GIS and community-based participatory research, risk factors and determinants of health, health disparities, and access to health and social services. GIS applications can help map health disparities, identify underserved areas for targeted interventions, analyze the impact of environmental factors on health, and facilitate community engagement through visual data representation. Future research should focus on exploring advanced GIS methodologies, such as predictive modeling and machine learning, to enhance healthcare disparity analysis and optimize resource allocation. Integrating advanced methodologies will deepen understanding of health disparities and improve prediction accuracy for timely interventions in underserved areas.