The history of a research group using demographic bases and great public databases: NISIS/IS – from 1989 to 2010

Abstract

This paper presents the trajectory of the Center of Investigation in Health Services and Systems of Instituto de Saúde/SES-SP (a public organ of Health Department of the State of São Paulo) during the use of demographic bases and databases from 1989 to 2010. Considering that the health planning, programing and evaluation is destined to populations and groups, the discussion about making indexes and using demographic and sanitary information, as well as continuous adjustments, has become a central issue. The information were organized and provided in integrated and accessible national grounds, which make the researches likely to be confirmed or rebutted. The fact that the researches used population bases with information organized in macro databases allow a national, state and municipal comparability, making an instrument of the management as long as it provides evidences of the consequences of different ways to organize the systems and the population health situation. Although it is observed that chronic problems concerning the bases adjustment and the data coverage persist, once the distinct logics inform the databases constructions and the feedback bring them not to communicate to each other and the interoperability to be incipient. Databases that inform the availability of the funding do not allow crosschecks with epidemiologic bases unless there are long and difficult operations among computer programs. Once the bases unification seems to be difficult, even in the current stage of computer science, what are the possibilities to make it easier the bases adjustment? It is a question whose answer we would like to know, for it would improve the system governance.