Geographic Information System (GIS) in Evaluating the Accessibility of Healthcare Facility for Patients with Colon and Rectal Carcinoma in the State of Kelantan and Sabah

Abstract

Malaysian National Cancer Registry (MNCR) 2007-2011, has ranked colorectal cancer (CRC) as the most common cancer for men and the second most common cancer for the women. We investigated the distribution of CRC patients and their accessibility to government healthcare facility using spatial analysis in both states. This is a retrospective cross-sectional study of patients who were diagnosed with CRC in the state of Kelantan and Sabah from the year 2016 till 2018. A total of 363 and 589 patients from Kelantan and Sabah respectively were recruited into the study. QGIS was used to create a distribution map and spatial analysis (average nearest neighbour and hotspot analysis) was performed with ArcGIS. The average age of patients with CRC in the state of Sabah was lower than that of Kelantan. The results from the average nearest neighbour suggest clustered pattern for both states. Hotspot analysis showed focused area on cluster in Kelantan over the northeast region. Spatial analysis shows both states to have patients with CRC who travelled more than 10km to reach the nearest hospital. GIS provides an alternative method of data analysis in comparison to conventional tabular form for CRC cases in Kelantan and Sabah.