AMORE Project: Integrated knowledge translation and geospatial analysis to improve travel times to health services (accessibility) and health equity in Cali, Colombia: a proof of concept using mixed-methods research

Addressing accessibility to health services requires intersectoral multi-stakeholder action. There is not a lot of knowledge about the effects of traffic congestion on accessibility. The availability of new data allows putting forward simple metrics that all stakeholders can manage. This proof-of-concept reveals accessibility using a platform with intuitive heatmaps/choropleths, dials, and graphs. It uses filters and shows accessibility according to socio-demographic characteristics. It is dynamic, reflecting the impact of changes in traffic congestion. The platform (AMORE Platform) provides a situational analysis that can be updated as conditions or data changes. The Platform reveals and quantifies inequities of accessibility and allows maximizing accessibility by optimizing the location for new services. The proof-of-concept uses two scenarios (1) urgent care in a tertiary hospital; and (2) frequent care (hemodialysis and radiotherapy). The data generation component will be complemented with a participatory action research assessment with project collaborators involving different stakeholders (e.g., authorities, service providers and users, organized civil society and academia) who will use the platform and could determine its value and potential in service planning, urbanism, and intersectoral and multistakeholder collaboration. The platform can be updated and modified to cover other services within and beyond the health sector. The proof-of-concept is done in Cali, Colombia's third most populous city, with inputs from a broad range of stakeholders.