标题：Using a Geographic Information System (GIS) in Evaluating the Accessibility of Health Facilities for Breast Cancer Patients in Penang State, Malaysia
摘要：Geographical Information Systems (GIS) have been used widely in many developed countries to map health-related events,and the results are used for planning of health services (such as locating screening centres) andin assessing clusters of cases to help identifypossible aetiological factors. In the United States in particular, cancer cases notified to registries are routinely entered into GIS,and trends are monitored over time. The Penang Cancer Registry (PCR) is a population-based registry that collects and collates data of all cancer cases diagnosed in Penang as well as cancer cases diagnosed elsewhere of Penang residents.Cancer case reports are generated by providing counts of cases based on Penang home addresses. Mapping of cases using information from the PCR gives a fairly complete picture of cancer cases from the Penang state,and any clusters of cases can be readily identified. This study demonstrates the application of GIS in the mapping and evaluationof the accessibility to health facilitiesof breast cancer cases in the Penang state. The ArcGIS 9.3 software was used to map and evaluate the spatial clustering of cancer cases,and the Network Analysis function was used to determine the distance between breast cancer cases and health facilities.
