Efficiency assessment of the information system on surveillance of communicable diseases and public health events

Abstract

Department of Epidemiology, Nicolae Testemitsanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, National Center of Public Health, Chisinau, the Republic of MoldovaBackground: The process of the implementation of information technologies in the system of public health surveillance is going on, providing an essential support in improving the quality and accessibility of the data on the epidemiological situation and morbidity trends as well as in improving the surveillance optimization and control of communicable diseases and health events in the terms of time, human resources and effective financial management. Material and methods: The efficiency evaluation of the electronic system of surveillance over communicable diseases and public health events has been performed by analyzing the system functionalities and assessing the health workers’ satisfaction in the light of simplicity, flexibility, quality and acceptability of the system. Results: The level of the satisfaction of medical personnel (family doctors and epidemiologists) concerning the electronic system functionalities has a direct correlation with the general computer knowledge and working skills. The informatization of the main activities of the public health service corresponds to the information complex integrated into the health care system and e-government strategy and consists of its subsequent integration into the unified information space of the country. Conclusions: At present the integration of information systems in the field of medical care and public health supervision is a problem that requires an integrated and comprehensive approach, focused on the consolidation and optimization of the management of human and financial resources and the achievements of the best indicators in the public health service