Geolocalización y determinantes sociales de salud en zonas rurales

Nayibe Endo-Collazos; Ana Lucia Hernández Orozco

doi:10.22490/26194759.11909

La Edición Especial FIKLiv 2026 de la Revista Biociencias reúne investigaciones y experiencias interdisciplinarias en cinco ejes: 1) salud, territorio, interculturalidad y transformación social; 2) determinantes, prevención, ambiente y cuidado de la salud; 3) formación, innovación y nuevas estrategias para el cuidado; 4) inteligencia artificial, salud digital, bioética y gestión basada en datos; y 5) IA, educación, ciencia abierta y futuro de la academia.

Vol. 9 No. 1 (2026): EDICIÓN ESPECIAL FIKLIV

Published 2026-08-18

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

I. HUMANOS EDITABLES

Geolocation and social determinants of health in rural areas Geolocalización y determinantes sociales de salud en zonas rurales

DOI: https://doi.org/10.22490/26194759.11909

Nayibe Endo-Collazos Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia

Ana Lucia Hernández Orozco Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia

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Abstract
References

In Colombia, rural areas face health inequities due to geographical barriers, structural poverty, limited infrastructure, and shortage of human resources, which conceal social determinants of health (SDH) such as income, education, and connectivity, perpetuating preventable diseases and limiting equitable access to timely and quality services. Objective: To analyze through a systematic review the use of geolocation and digital health technologies to identify SDH in rural contexts, describing applications, benefits for equity, and limitations. Methods: Systematic review with PRISMA methodology in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and SciELO. From 4,883 identified records, 1,291 duplicates were removed and 3,584 excluded by title/abstract screening; 5 studies were included (P: rural communities; E: GIS, mHealth, telemedicine; R: SDH/equity). Analysis through thematic matrix and methodological triangulation. Results: GIS, geocoding, and mHealth platforms map territorial vulnerabilities, optimize care routes, expand coverage, identify at-risk groups, and improve administrative efficiency in dispersed territories. Conclusion: Geolocation technologies have the capacity to identify excluded microterritories, measure accessibility, and guide resource allocation based on equity, though limited by the digital divide, poor connectivity, and technological literacy. Inclusive public policies, infrastructure investment, and digital education are required for their sustainability.

keywords: geolocation, social determinants of health, healths equity, public health, digital health, Rural health

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How to Cite

Hernández Orozco, A. L. (2026). Geolocation and social determinants of health in rural areas Geolocalización y determinantes sociales de salud en zonas rurales (N. Endo-Collazos, Trans.). Biociencias, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.22490/26194759.11909

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