Geotechnologies for health decision-making: An analysis of vaccination indicators in Paraíba

ABSTRACT

The objective was to perform a spatial analysis of BCG Vaccination Coverage in Paraíba in 2024, demonstrating how the use of geotechnologies can enhance decision-making in health and improve vaccination indicators. This is an ecological, exploratory, and quantitative study, developed based on vaccination coverage indicators for the BCG vaccine in the first half of 2024, extracted from LocalizaSUS. For spatial analysis, the epidemiological measure of Spatial Incidence Ratio was used, which expresses the ratio between the vaccination coverage of municipalities in Paraíba and the state’s overall coverage. In the first half of 2023, the accumulated BCG coverage was 76.69%, while by the end of 2024, it had reached 109.54%. This increase is the result of measures that consider the specificities of each health region in the state and the qualification of immunization data. Management interventions consisted of implementing monitoring tools, professional qualification, and expanding vaccination in health facilities by identifying priority areas. It is concluded that the use of geotechnologies and spatial analysis tools is relevant for health managers’ decision-making, regarding the identification of priority areas for allocating resources and public policies.

KEYWORDS
Epidemiology; Vaccination coverage; Spatial analysis; Health management.