[Hospital Information Systems and their application in public health].
The objective of this study was to survey the scientific production of applications for data from the Hospital Information System of Brazil's Unified National System (SUS) in analyses of relevant Public Health issues. To find articles published in scientific journals from 1984 to 2003, the authors consulted the SciELO, MEDLINE, and Virtual Public Health Library databases. To locate monographs, theses, and dissertations, the authors consulted the websites of institutions providing Master's and doctoral courses in Public Health. A total of 76 articles were identified for the reference period, and they were classified into five categories with different analytical approaches. Although the Hospital Information System in the SUS has incomplete coverage and there are uncertainties about the reliability of its data, the range of studies showed internal consistency with current knowledge, reinforcing the system's importance and the need to understand its strengths and weaknesses.
Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. sonia@ensp.fiocruz.br
Sonia Azevedo
SA
Bittencourt
Luiz Antonio Bastos
LA
Camacho
Maria do Carmo
Mdo C
Leal
D015706:Bibliometrics; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001938:Brazil; D006751:Hospital Information Systems / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011634:Public Health