Health Surveillance Coordination

The coordination of health surveillance includes working with data providing organizations such as Statistics Canada and the Canadian Institute for Health Information to ensure that the Public Health Agency of Canada receives important public health information that helps us to better understand the health issues facing Canadians.

Surveillance coordination also means working with the Provinces and Territories to provide tools to better manage data. Such tools include:
the Framework and Tools for Evaluating Health Surveillance Systems,
and the soon to be launched -
Inventory of Public Health Data Sources and Surveillance Activities.

The Health Surveillance Coordination Committee provides a forum for the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada in which to discuss issues related to health surveillance programs. In this context, surveillance is broadly defined, to include not only disease, but alsohealth risk factors and health determinants amenable to public health action. The principal aim of the committee is to add value to the Agency’s existing health surveillance efforts by promoting, sharing, minimising duplication of effort, promoting standards, and providing advice.

Framework and Tools for Evaluating Health Surveillance Systems
is a tool designed to help managersof health surveillance systems identify and document issues relating to the rationale,implementation and effectiveness of their health surveillance systems. The Framework andTools provide standard approaches that managers can apply in their efforts to identify currentpractices and to enhance the ability of surveillance to provide relevant information for the reviewof public health objectives.

Six steps are outlined for systematically reviewing the purpose, design, management and operational characteristics of a system within the context of its program.

Step 1 Establishing the context of the surveillance system
Step 2 Developing evaluation questions
Step 3 Designing the process for data collection and management
Step 4 Collating and presenting the findings
Step 5 Reviewing an evaluation report
Step 6 Following up on the use of findings

The ease of implementation and degree of success of an evaluation is closely linked to:

• Clear roles and responsibilities among partners;
• Resources tied to expected outcomes;
• Appropriate performance measures determined for ongoing adjustments;
• Evaluation that is identified and planned within the overall program life-cycle; and
• Adequate reporting of outcomes.

 

For more information, contact publichealthpractice@phac-aspc.gc.ca
or call toll free: 1-877-430-9995.