Enhancing Interoperability of Health Data (BR0117)

What is the public problem that the commitment will address? Currently, the federal, state and municipal bodies of the National Health Surveillance System (SNVS) do not have harmonized and standardized information/indicators that enable civil society to monitor their activities aimed at mitigating risks in the supply/consumption of products and services subject to health surveillance. In Brazil, 241 economic activities are monitored daily by federal, state and municipal health surveillance bodies to avoid risks to the population’s health. Some of the monitored economic activities are food services; drinking water treatment and distribution; meat, horticultural and dairy products retail and wholesale trade; beverage industry; food products industry; funeral services; hairdressers, manicures and pedicures; homes for the elderly and people with physical disabilities; schools; catering services for events and receptions; street food services; clinical laboratories; dialysis and nephrology services; magnetic resonance services; chemotherapy services and mobile ICU (a comprehensive list is provided in RDC 153/Anvisa 2017 and its amendments). Regulatory, enforcement, inspection and educational activities are carried out by the federal government, by the 27 state governments and by the 5,570 municipalities, under federal coordination and considering regional and local needs. Each health surveillance body establishes priority actions to mitigate risks in its territory, carrying out pre-market activities, such as licensing, verifying whether the necessary conditions for entering the market are met, and post-market activities, such as the continuous monitoring of business activities. To enable citizens to monitor health surveillance activities and results, it is essential that indicators, as well as the data underlying indicators, are made available to the public, which will also have the positive effect of strengthening the Brazilian National Health System (SUS). Regulatory, enforcement, inspection and educational activities are carried out by the federal government, by the 27 state governments and by the 5,570 municipalities, under federal coordination and considering regional and local needs. Each health surveillance body establishes priority actions to mitigate risks in its territory, carrying out pre-market activities, such as licensing, verifying whether the necessary conditions for entering the market are met, and post-market activities, such as the continuous monitoring of business activities. To enable citizens to monitor health surveillance activities and results, it is essential that indicators, as well as the data underlying indicators, are made available to the public, which will also have the positive effect of strengthening the Brazilian National Health System (SUS).

What is the commitment? With the aim of improving communication with the public, the commitment is an effort to harmonize standards and guidelines of operating systems and data of the various National Health Surveillance System bodies and therefore enable their alignment, interoperability and usability.

How will the commitment contribute to solve the public problem? By making available a data catalog containing technical information, it will be easier to inform the public about the information and databases available for monitoring and assessing results of health surveillance activities. This information will be published on a specific website, with a focus on proactive transparency.

Why this commitment is relevant to OGP values? OGP values are reflected in all commitment’s actions. The commitment, for instance, enhances transparency by disclosing more and better information on the theme. It encourages social participation by improving civil society capability to access relevant information and thus to influence the decision-making process. And, finally, it enhances accountability by improving mechanisms that will make public agents more accountable for their actions.

Additional information Ensure healthy lives is the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 designed by the United Nations (UN) to fulfill the 2030 Agenda agreements. SDG 3 aims to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.” This commitment is thus related to SDG 3, as it aims to inform the public about the information available for monitoring and assessing the results of health surveillance activities.

Milestones (with verifiable deliverable) Start Date: End Date: Milestone 1 - Mapping of information and its sources/systems in use by health surveillance bodies and delivery of a database catalog December 2021 June 2022 Milestone 2 - Qualification form for aligning the information in use by health surveillance bodies January 2022 August 2022 Milestone 3 - Qualification form for new indicators after identifying information of interest to health surveillance activities but not yet in use January 2022 August 2022 Milestone 4 - Metadata protocol for health surveillance data integration and transparency using web standards and FAIR principles April 2022 November 2022 Milestone 5 - Publication of National Health Safety Observatory/Pilot August 2022 December 2022

Action Plan Review

Commitment 7. Enhancing Interoperability and Usability of Health Data