Search

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak a pandemic, with the coronavirus disease spreading worryingly fast. In this context, information systems, digital health (electronic health, mobile health), the Internet of things, play a key role, since they can contribute to fight against COVID-19 by introducing smarter solutions to achieve a rapid control in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes the disease. However, these technologies need a solid regulatory framework that contributes to their implementation and integration in health systems, and to improve the national response in public health. In this context, coordination between administrations and the standardization and interoperability of information are necessary. Now is the time to establish the legal and knowledge bases so that everything that has been learned and advanced is integrated into health systems, promoting safe and evidence-based use.

This paper describes the project "Information Flows", its contents of INAIL data about accidents and occupational diseases reported and recognized and its usefulness for programs of preventive initiatives undertaken by INAIL and by the responsible structures in the single italian regions. We propose some processings of data and suggest how their collection, according to criteria based on occupational medicine, industrial hygiene and epidemiology and a careful analysis and processing of data from more sources could lead to an extension of the workers protection, relatively to "unrecognized" occupational diseases, diseases caused by the "old" risks and the identification of occupational diseases caused by "new" risks.

The main characteristics of the OSH monitoring systems in use in Europe are described. We refer the results of a survey carried out in six different European countries using the ODIT tool for assessing the quality of these recordings.

The On-Line Registration of Certificates of Live Births was developed in conjunction with the Ministry of Health of Peru and the National Registry of Identification and Civil Status. It is a free system that registers newborns in the delivery room itself which generates a real time certificate of live birth. This simplifies the procedures required to obtain the birth certificate and the National Identity Document for the newborn. This system has been implemented in 114 health centers in 21 regions from March 2012 to March 2013, and has registered 113,917 live births, providing accurate, timely and quality information about these births. This system is the main cornerstone of the health information system which helps obtain real time statistics for adequate and timely decision making in public health.

Introduction: In order to support decisions and analyze outcomes, the Spanish Health System has shown a great interest in developing data bases and high quality information systems. Nevertheless the use of these data bases are limited, not very systematized and, some times, their accessibility may be difficult., Material and Methods: We describe in this review the experience in using the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Science (ICES, Ontario, Canada) as an efficient model to improve the usefulness of these data bases., Results: Under restrictive conditions of confidentiality and privacy, the ICES has the legal capacity to use several population based data bases, for research projects and reports. ICES's functional structure (with an administrative and scientific level) is an interesting framework since it guarantees its independent and economic assessment., Discussion: To date, its scientific production has been high in many areas of knowledge and open to those interested, with points of view of many health care professionals (including management), for whom the quality of research is of the ultimate importance, to be able to access these resources., (Copyright © 2011 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this article is two-fold: firstly, to illustrate international experiences of assessing primary care performance by using examples of both cross-country comparisons and national assessment efforts and, secondly, to describe the progress achieved to date in the articulation of the Spanish Primary Care Information System. The central role assigned to primary care in conceptual frameworks clashes with the severe limitations in the quality and availability of the data required to construct the indicators. The lack of systematic and standardized databases covering diagnosis, procedures and intermediate results in individual patients is endemic across countries. Filling this gap has become a priority in most countries, especially during the last decade. In Spain, the concept of the Primary Care Information System appeared in 2003 and the first data/results were published in 2006. Since then, distinct elements have been progressively incorporated with the involvement of the various autonomous regions in Spain. Currently, the system includes various aspects such as the population assigned, the available resources, a national catalogue of primary care centers, and activity. The next challenge in this work in progress is to build a database of clinical information., (Copyright © 2011 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)

Dengue in the Americas is a public health problem in ascent. The control strategies have not been effective when sustained in the intensive use of insecticides and poor community participation. The Mesoamerican Initiative for the Prevention and the Integrated Control of Dengue synthesizes the works generated by the Integrated Strategy of the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) and the risks stratification strategy designed by the countries of the Mesoamerican region. The objective is to progressively reduce the incidence of dengue cases until a 50% reduction is reached over a five years period. This document describes the elements for the risk stratification, the activities for prevention and control organized by levels of intensity and frequency and the indicators used to pursuit the objectives. To face the dispersion of the problem a concentration of efforts for control in the areas of greater risk is presented; the opportunity in the detection of cases is highlighted to tackle the fast dissemination of the infection; focus on the most productive breeding sites is proposed to battle against the vast dissemination of the breeding sites; and the severity of the infection must be addressed by capable clinical human resources. This strategy was designed along with the national representatives of the control programs to create master plans that provided the basis for the integrated prevention and control of dengue in the Mesoamerican region.

Objective: To evaluate and analyze health information systems (his) in the Mesoamerican Region., Material and Methods: The conceptual framework and tools of the Health Metrics Network (nhm) was used. It measures six components of the his assessment: resources, indicators, data sources, information management, products and use., Results: In this study we found that the average score of the HIS in the Mesoamerican region was 57%, being the maximum value for Mexico (75%) and the minimum for El Salvador (41%). The item that had lowest scores was that referring to the Management and Administration, where the average assessment was 37%, placing it as present but not adequate. The component with the highest score was Information Products with more than 69%, adequate. In any case, no items were very adequate., Conclusion: The performance of his is heterogeneous between countries. It is necessary to strengthen and standardize the criteria of the his in the region, so that these are integrated and used in the decision making process based on real information.

New public health laws are a conceptual and methodological adaptation of public health to current social needs, their common link being the incorporation of health in all policies. This represents a new strategic approach that will require different information systems, which should incorporate the rapid advances made in the field of information technology and communication. The aim of this article was to identify the most important aspects to be taken into account in information systems in public health from a technological perspective, both in their development and in the elements that compose them. To overcome the fragmentation of information systems in public health, these systems must be successfully integrated among themselves and with other health and non-health systems. To achieve this task, technical, semantic and organizational interoperability must be ensured. Emerging technologies should be considered to support these new strategies, especially Web 2.0 tools. This new strategic development will pose additional challenges because of its size and the diversity of the departments involved. It is proposed that information systems will include the elements of Web 2.0 and support systems for decision-making technologies in addition to the traditional operational systems., (Copyright © 2010 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)

Objective: A baseline assessment of the structure, dynamics, and monitoring capabilities of the information systems for road traffic injuries was conducted in three Peruvian cities: Lima, Huamanga and Pucallpa., Material and Methods: 50 in-depth interviews were performed with key stakeholders, including managers and operators of information systems. The instrument was developed taking into account international standards and recommendations for information systems., Results: Six information systems were identified, some of which contain integrated operational systems enabling the recollection, processing, aggregation and data analysis following automated processes. These systems are considered valuable by different stakeholders because of their ability to present data in an organized manner. A low level of collaboration and exchange of information between institutions in the diverse aspects of data collection, processing and usage was observed. Officially, formal collaboration agreements between institutions do exist, potentially enabling more collaborative work. An interest was expressed in establishing an integrated information system due to the need for detailed and solid/trusted information that maximizes the use of existing resources., Conclusions: Current information systems for road traffic injuries have limitations. The actual use and utility of the information for decision-making for prevention of road traffic injuries nationwide is limited.

Health Information Systems (HIS) are the core support to decision-making in health organizations. Within HIS, health indicators (HI) reflect, numerically, events measured in the health-illness continuum. The integrated health information system is intended to standardize, integrate and organize all the information available in health information systems through an accessible and secure repository, and to conveniently distribute information for decision-making. To standardize information it is necessary to define standards and semantic information to enable us to identify concepts and relate them uniquely to each other. The definition of a catalog of entities (DEA) with concepts, attributes and domains will enable the configuration of the information system, so there will be a catalog of entities (concepts of information and domains). Based on operational systems, analytical systems enabling management and strategy in the management of organizations will be built. The maximum level of analysis is the Balanced Score Card (BSC), which is established as the strategic tool for managers. It is necessary for the organization an integrated information system to plan, manage, evaluate and therefore provide managers with a decision tool for strategic and tactical decision-making in short and medium term., (2010 Elsevier España S.L. All rights reserved.)

The present article provides an analysis and description of the use of scientific information systems as instruments to measure and monitor results and investigative activity in biomedicine. Based on the current situation concerning the use and implementation of these systems, we offer a detailed description of the actors of these systems and propose a functional architecture for this class of software. In addition, the instruments that these types of systems offer for the measurement of the impact of the results of research are described in depth, as these instruments can help in decision making. Finally, a selection of national and international scientific information systems are listed and reviewed.

Spanish public health and health services information systems (HIS) have improved, but are still fragmented by areas of interest and have evolved independently from one another. Their format, structure, integrity and data quality vary widely, as do the programs, platforms and databases that support them. The latest innovations focus on isolated HIS and are hampered by obsolete models, tools, functionalities, and the inertial demand of information. Transfer of responsibilities without minimal agreements on HIS has eroded their national cohesion and, along with the absence of exchanges on experiences of computerization on a national basis, has weakened us, given the supply of immature computer applications. The evolution of HIS must be governed by integration. We have to redefine their strategic and operational objectives, review existing data and information, and determine the single identification of specific persons and patients. Variables, indicators, services and control panels should be reviewed and systematized through a single shared nomenclature. Personal health records and administrative and clinical registries should become the primary sources of health information data. Data collection, mechanization, registration and exploitation, and their quality control and maintenance, should be redefined regardless of setting. A national agreement is urgently required on the minimal functionalities of HIS, while respecting their technical nature and management by autonomous governments.

A lack of information about the risks and damage that workers are exposed to, is one of the most pressing problems for those who administrate, professional and social workers, and one which constitutes an obstacle to the defining of effective Occupational Health policies and plans. An analysis is carried out of the existing data sources in Spain, and a description is provided of the resources available for preventing occupational hazards. It is concluded that, with the possibilities that are offered by the new framework of standards, it will be possible to implement an Occupational Health Information System which will allow for determining priorities and reaching the objectives that have been set. Applying the laws and using the resources that are available will be sufficient.

Background: The needs of information for the primary health care centers planning and management, and the poor situation we started from, have generated a large amount of information systems, which, as a general rule, have not been sufficiently evaluated. Since 1986, in the Area de Gestión, 7, Centro, of the ICS here exists an information system of the general medicine services with a sampling method (ANAC-2). The validation of some aspects of the process and content is shown in order to evaluate the quality of information., Methods: The problems arisen during the process of collecting data from nine centers are analyzed during six months and its information content is compared with the one of each system with a standard respect their value. To evaluate the concordance, we have used a graphic representation of the differences of each system with a standard respect their mean value, and the "limits of agreement"., Results: On relation with the problems of collecting data, two centers show a nonfulfillment of the observation calendar higher than 20% and the logical divergences are not important. The kind of visits distribution is quite correct, even if the estimate of the whole number of visits is higher than 20% in two centers. In the activity indicators, the system of reference has a tendency to give average values lower than the ANAC-2, with the exception of prescription/visit. In referrals and prescriptions, the use of different sources of information between systems produces an average difference of 3.3 interconsults/100 visits and 0.8 prescriptions/visit respectively. Generally, the limits of agreement are wide and become unacceptable in laboratory., Conclusions: The study carried out is evaluated positively, for it detects the problematical areas which can be modified or require further studies. The importance of validating the information systems is emphasized, in spite of difficulties.

The author makes a critical evaluation of the excessive preocupation in devising an information system for whatever subject may be under consideration. This has led in some countries to "information without information," since there is a close relationship between socioeconomic development and the capacity to generate information. In the specific field of information on human resources he points out two necessary previous phases which are sometimes ignored: knowing what exists in administrative registries, and knowing what exists and what can be done with national statistics registries such as census and home surveys. Lastly, the author emphasizes the strategic value of combining efforts with national statistics bureaus in this endeavour. The information system will thus be able to provide a short-term and long-term vision, and not only a static view of the situation at any given time.

Indicators, variables and barriers to scientific and technical health information have been detected and described by CENIDS in Mexico within the life cycle of the information production model, covering the phases of: a) generation; b) institutionalization; c) maintenance/development; and d) distribution/dissemination. Emphasis is placed on the important role that play social, economic, demographic, and political factors of each developing country to conform their ideal information life cycle. After an analysis of the existing Mexican situation, and a short description of CENIDS' structure, organization, functions and services, CENIDS' short-term and mid-term projects, and suggestions for further research lines to improve the current situation in Mexico are also given.