Avaliação da qualidade dos dados da síndrome respiratória aguda grave no município de Niterói nos anos de 2020 e 2021

Abstract

The assessment of data quality in Health Information Systems is relevant to improve the quality of information by identifying how the health event is perceived by the systems, analyzing the data and allowing for a better interpretation of the resulting information. Objective: to evaluate the quality of the records of reported cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in the city of Niterói - RJ, during the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic (January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021). Methodology: data quality was evaluated in two: dimensions: completeness and inconsistency. Completeness was measured through the proportion of completed records other than ignored or blank. The degree of completeness was evaluated using a score proposed by Romero and Cunha (2006), which categorises completeness as follows: excellent (less than 5% incomplete information); good (between 5% to 10%); regular (between 10% to 20%); bad (from 20% to 50%); and very bad (50% or more of the information is incomplete). Inconsistency was assessed by selecting pairs of variables to calculate their proportions. Results: in the period assessed, 21,634 SARS cases were reported in the municipality, among residents and non-residents. The average of completeness of health records was 72.22% in 2020 and 65.64% in 2021. Excellent completion was observed for the date of the first symptoms, sex and age, while other mandatory variables had lower percentages of completeness, notably race (58.97% and 47.73%), final classification (89.48% and 65.28%) and date of closure (75.45% and 47.73%) in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Level of instruction (14,14% e 11,98%) and occupation (0,22% e 0,14%) had a very poor degree of completion throughout the period. A low degree of inconsistency was observed in the database. Final considerations: the SIVEP-Gripe is a good source of information, with a high degree of internal cohesion and good capacity to use data in the production of information on SARS. At the same time, this assessment points to a need for improvements in the completeness of its information. This study points to the sensitization of professionals to the notification process through continued education and the promotion of systematic evaluations in the surveillance services as important strategies for strengthening health surveillance.