Environment for extracting health information starting from the SUS database

Abstract

The application of techniques for producing managerial information and the discovery of knowledge in large databases, such as those existing in the DATASUS IT systems, could represent a substantial advance in the administration of the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). Public health data is produced by several isolated non-integrated systems, making the task of producing managerial information harder. This diffi culty motivated this work, whose objective is to create an environment (MinerSUS) for extracting information, starting from data mining of the SUS database in the State of São Paulo. With this in mind, a proper environment for the peculiarities of Public Health and the SUS information systems was implemented, with the following characteristics: 1) Data Warehouse (DW) uniting and integrating SUS data systems; 2) collection process, cleaning, integration and SUS databases in the DW; 3) component for producing managerial information; 4) methodology to identify the patient on his several visits to the Public Health System. Several tests were carried out to evaluate the functionality and effectiveness of the tools created, with emphasis on applications in cardiology. The results showed the effectiveness of the tools in the more complex aspects of information handling to develop knowledge, starting from the DATASUS database.