Improving Health Care Access Using Geographic Information Systems: SISMater-GIS: A Study of Referencing for Childbirth in a University Maternity in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Aim: To assess spatial distribution patterns of residence addresses of postpartum women, according to risk pregnancy and obstetric outcome. Method: Descriptive geographic-spatial research. This study analysed a cohort of 1792 women living in Belo Horizonte (Brazil) and having received care during childbirth in the universitary maternity-school. The prototype SISMater-GIS was used to select the specific features for the analysis in this study. The ArcGIS Online software was used to generate thematic maps. Results: We observed a concentration of women living in the northwest of the city to officially refer to their childbirth mothers in the maternity-school. About a quarter of the analyzed population had some type of perinatal complications. In cases of high risk pregnancy and perinatal complications referencing also occurs from practically all other regions of the city. Conclusion: the integration of hospital clinical and administrative data with cartographic databases City through prototype SISMater-GIS was able to make clear the patterns of referencing for childbirth in maternity-school in high risk pregnancy. Despite the limitations of a descriptive study the analysis makes clear that the choice of place of childbirth exceeds the matters set out in government planning of emergency obstetric referencing by sanitary districts.