Participation in Discussion Spaces of Health Informatics in Brazil

Abstract

Abstract. This work analyses instances of discussion related to the Brazilian public policy on health information and communication technologies (ICT).Departing from a theoretical model, which relates health ICT outcomes to instances of discussion, this work aims to identify how multiple actors participate on decision-making processes regarding health ICT. Laws and norms related to discussion forums about Brazilian health system were researched. The work shows that the discourse of participation has been present since SUS (Brazilian Unified Health System) beginnings, and, in recent years, new forums have been created. Thus, this paper concludes with the importance of a coordinated work between the forums, as well as the very need of participation of multiple actors in the instances of discussions about health ICT.Keywords: Health Information Systems, Public Policy, Informatics in Brazil's Health System. IntroductionOver the last twenty years, countries have bet on national strategies to incorporate information and communication technologies (ICT) into health practices [1][2][3][4][5] and scientific literature about Health Information Systems (HIS) reports that the informatization of health is a long-term process influenced by diverse actors [1,[6][7][8]. This is also the case in Brazil, where the first HIS emerged in the 1970s [9] and, after three decades, diverse advances have taken place in an effort to develop ICT for the benefit of health. In Brazil, the HIS were developed by actors in both public and private sectors to meet the demands of health planning and management, as was the elaboration of a national strategic vision of heath informatics [4]. However, recent attempts by the Ministry of Health (MoH) aiming to construct an Electronic Health Record (EHR) on a national level failed and the HIS produced in Brazil are fragmented, limiting the use of the information for the benefit of the Brazilian population [8].Considering the complex scenario related to the informatization of health in the Brazilian setting, it becomes necessary to study the factors associated with this process. Therefore, based upon the premise that participative actions can bring about better results for health ICTs, this work seeks to analyze the participation of diverse actors involved in the instances of discussions of health informatics in Brazil.