Public health education and practice using geographic information system technology

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• Nursing Education

Background:

• Geographic Information System (GIS) technology is a valuable tool for public health practitioners.
• GIS enables exploration of health disparities, analysis of disease outbreaks, and resource prioritization.
• Nursing students can leverage World Wide Web GIS resources to improve population health assessment and intervention planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the benefits of GIS for public health practitioners.
• To present a communicable disease control application of GIS.
• To discuss a GIS module utilized in an undergraduate nursing education course.

Main Methods:

• Review of GIS applications in public health practice.
• Case study of a communicable disease control project using GIS.
• Description of a GIS module developed for undergraduate nursing students.

Main Results:

• GIS offers significant advantages for public health practitioners in data analysis and resource allocation.
• GIS effectively supports communicable disease surveillance and control strategies.
• The implemented GIS module successfully enhanced nursing students' skills in population health assessment and intervention planning.

Conclusions:

• GIS technology is crucial for modern public health initiatives.
• Integrating GIS into nursing curricula is essential for preparing future public health nurses.
• Standardization of health data for public GIS use is recommended for broader application.