Seongdong-gu Manages Seniors Aged 75 and Over with 'GIS Health Map'

District derives areas with high concentration of seniors aged 75+, regional disease distribution through big data analysis... Strategic promotion, identification, and management of 'HyoSarang Health Doctor' project targets using GIS health maps

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jeong Won-oh) created a GIS health map identifying the dense areas and disease distribution of elderly people aged 75 and over, who are the focus of intensive health care, using input data from PHIS (Public Health Information System) operated by the government.

Since September 2017, the district has been implementing the ‘Hyosarang Primary Care Physician’ project, the first of its kind nationwide, which provides health management services by having primary care physicians and nurses visit the homes of all elderly people aged 75 and over. As of February 2020, 6,702 (35.9%) of the 18,643 elderly residents aged 75 and over in Seongdong-gu have been registered and managed, with the number of registered individuals steadily increasing from 1,062 in 2017 and 4,562 in 2018.

To identify target individuals more efficiently, the district embarked on big data analysis to discover elderly people in blind spots that could not be identified with existing information. Through the ‘Seongdong Big Data Center,’ established in March last year, the district analyzed and informatized the dense areas of elderly people aged 75 and over and the distribution of chronic diseases to create a GIS health map.

A district official said, “Until now, only data accumulated without proper analysis was used to identify and manage target individuals by repeating existing materials. With the creation of this map through data analysis, we can now identify dense areas by housing type and distribution by disease type, enabling more efficient and focused identification and management.”

The district identified five dense neighborhoods of elderly people aged 75 and over (Geumho 2·3-ga-dong, Oksu-dong, Wangsimni Doseon-dong, Haengdang 2-dong, Majang-dong) and is intensively promoting the ‘Hyosarang Health Primary Care Physician’ project in these areas.

This is because it was found that the dense areas of elderly people aged 75 and over analyzed by big data (Geumho 2·3-ga-dong, Oksu-dong, Wangsimni Doseon-dong, Haengdang 2-dong, Majang-dong) did not match the dense areas of existing Hyosarang registered individuals (Geumho 1-ga-dong, Songjeong-dong, Yongdap-dong, Haengdang 1-dong, Seongsu 1-ga 1-dong).

Additionally, by expressing apartment-dense areas on the GIS health map and analyzing them, the district recognized the need for strategic promotion targeting elderly residents living in the more closed apartment structures in Oksu-dong, Geumho 2·3-ga-dong, and Wangsimni Doseon-dong rather than houses.

Accordingly, the district is currently planning promotions using media boards and IPTV for intensive promotion in apartment-dense areas, and by identifying correlations according to regional characteristics by chronic disease (diabetes, hypertension, cancer, etc.), it strives to resolve blind spots in health care through more efficient management.

For inquiries about the Hyosarang Health Primary Care Physician project, contact each neighborhood community center or the Disease Prevention Division of the public health center.

Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “Care for the elderly is increasingly becoming the responsibility of the state and local governments due to the decrease in family members, the rise in female employment, and the breakdown of families. We will do our best to ensure healthy and happy aging for the elderly by resolving blind spots in elderly care and providing customized services through the use of various advanced technologies.”