Maps are important tools in infectious disease surveillance. They depict where cases are occurring and where treatment resources are needed. San Bernardino County uses geographic information system (GIS) technology to accurately track the prevalence of specific infectious diseases in their communities. That information is used to raise awareness and to marshal resources to limit the spread.
Healthcare IT Today sat down with Diana Ibrahim, Public Health Program Manager and Umang Sharma, Statistical Analyst at the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health (SBCDPH), to learn more.
GIS technology + Disease Surveillance
GIS technology greatly increases the speed and accuracy with which information on infectious disease cases can be collected and integrated with other location-based data.
With its dynamic mapping capabilities, GIS technologies like Esri’s ArcGIS (used at San Bernardino County), make it easier to analyze the frequency of cases, how the disease is impacted by environmental factors, spatial clustering, etc. When combined onto a dashboard, this information and analysis helps community leaders make smarter decisions on where to deploy resources.
San Bernardino County, for example, is tracking Syphilis and has a dashboard available for internal stakeholders.
“Syphilis is a challenge across the US,” said Ibrahim. “We’re trying to address it by sharing data, being as transparent as we can be, collaborating with people, and being innovative in the way that we share the information. In the past it was very manual to share information. Now with GIS, we can get this information out there quickly so that people can join us in this battle against this disease.”
Ibrahim believes that by sharing infectious disease data through a visual and interactive medium like a map powered by GIS technology, more people will become aware of these diseases. Raising awareness is key to addressing these diseases long-term.
Evolving Use of Maps
The team at San Bernardino look to the success of the data they provided to internal and external stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Sharma, at first, San Bernardino County used GIS technology to provide information about hospitalizations and deaths. As the public and internal users got used to the COVID-19 dashboards powered by GIS technology, they began asking for more information like vaccination rates and vaccine availability.
The team at San Bernardino feel that their infectious disease dashboards will follow the same adoption path as their COVID-19 ones.
“GIS is helping to build trust,” said Sharma. “It is helping internal teams to collaborate with each other and with the community. These dashboards have really raised the awareness of the important data we collect.”
Watch the interview with Diana Ibrahim and Umang Sharma to learn more about San Bernardino County’s infectious disease work.
Learn more about San Bernardino County at: https://main.sbcounty.gov/
Learn more about Esri at: https://www.esri.com/en-us/industries/health/overview
Learn more about GIS for Health at: https://www.healthcareittoday.com/gis-for-health/
Listen and subscribe to the Healthcare IT Today Interviews Podcast to hear all the latest insights from experts in healthcare IT.
And for an exclusive look at our top stories, subscribe to our newsletter.
Tell us what you think. Contact us here or on Twitter at @hcitoday. And if you’re interested in advertising with us, check out our various advertising packages and request our Media Kit.
Esri is a supporter of Healthcare Scene
