The role of surveillance and data use in the development of public health policies.

Abstract

Decision makers consider numerous factors besides surveillance data in establishing public health policies and programmes. In an evidence-informed system, it is important to collect, interpret, and present information that has maximum impact on the broader policy agenda.Successful policies and programmes are rational, feasible, and practical, with wide public support. Surveillance systems must align and interact with the other parts of the policy infrastructure. There must be continuous links between data providers, collectors, and users. Data must be representative of population variations.For chronic diseases, the major challenge is multiple risks. Surveillance systems must capture many factors from many sources. Data must be presented in plain language and tailored to the needs of various users - politicians, policy makers, health providers, researchers, and the public. Data must be linked to other policy areas such as taxation. Economic arguments, including modelling, strongly influence decisions. Broad data ownership through alliances also has significant impact.