[Changing the epidemiological surveillance into the public health surveillance. Work Group on Information Systems in...

Although epidemiological surveillance include originally a strategic function, beyond epidemic control, in Spain the communicable diseases control system has been the only surveillance scheme. This system suffer a severe crisis, probably due to the scarce uses of the information and/or because the system produce exclusively information about communicable diseases or outbreaks. In the last few years, information sources and procedure have been developed out of the official surveillance, such as cancer register, traffic accidents or air contamination statistics and so on. Moreover, national and regional health plans which signify specific health objectives entail information tools with ability to rank and evaluate the interventions. The principal health information system useful to surveillance has been described. We conclude that the expression public health surveillance define much better the functions of a) monitoring and evaluation of the health policy and b) detection and research of epidemics. Finally, we identify some elements for the change, such as: a) to include information related to adverse effects of the sanitary interventions, and environmental and occupational hazards; b) to facilitate the access of information by means of self-operating database and c) to make comparable the different information sources.