In January 2025, BIREME held important exchanges with the Secretariat of Information and Digital Health (SEIDIGI) of the Brazilian Ministry of Health to realign ongoing projects and move forward with new developments in the context of joint technical cooperation with PAHO Brazil, with the participation of the Center, for the actions of the Project “Strengthening and qualifying the use of health information and digital transformation in the Unified Health System (SUS)” in Cooperation Term 157 (TC157).
This action also contributes to the SUS Digital Program, a SEIDIGI/MS initiative that aims to expand the population’s access to health services with integrality, equity and resolution, promoting the digital transformation of the Unified Health System (SUS).
To this end, three workshops were held at PAHO Brazil and BIREME to realign the projects under development, such as the Second Formative Opinion (SOF) and Decision Aids (DA); and the co-creation of the SUS Digital Portal. Below are the details of the dynamics.
SOF workshop and innovation in telehealth
Held on January 28 at PAHO Brazil in Brasilia, the workshop recalled the 15-year experience of the Second Opinion Formative (SOF). The meeting discussed the renewal and expansion of the SOF collection, which has currently 1,743 documents available in the Primary Health Care Virtual Health Library (PHC VHL).
“Due to its direct question and answer format, SOF has a high volume of accesses. In 2024, there were more than 15 million views, justifying the need to modernize and automate the process of building these answers,” stated Verônica Abdala, Manager of Information Products and Services (PSI) at BIREME. As a result of the workshop, a proposal was drawn up for a new SOF construction flow, including the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to speed up production and the exploration of new sources of topic induction, in addition to traditional teleconsultations.
“The initiatives seek to modernize the SOF, ensuring greater efficiency and scalability to meet the needs of primary care in SUS,” mentioned Secretary Ana Estela Haddad (SEIDIGI/MS), highlighting BIREME’s essential role as a strategic partner in the Ministry of Health’s digital transformation initiatives. Recognized as a reference institution in PAHO, BIREME contributes with innovation and consistency to the projects carried out, playing a decisive role in various strategic actions.
Workshop on Decision Aids in the context of SUS
Held on January 27, also at PAHO Brazil, the workshop dealt with Decision Aids (DA), focusing on the conceptual alignment and practical application of these tools in SUS.
The aim of the meeting was to align the understanding of DAs and their practical application in the health context, highlighting international experiences and exploring the possibilities for their implementation in SUS. The main results achieved included the expansion of knowledge about DAs and their applications, an understanding of the main components needed for their structuring and applicability in SUS, the definition of guidelines for the construction and validation of these tools and the development of a pilot project.
Juliana Sousa, Supervisor of Development of Digital Solutions and Emerging Technologies (DEV) explained that the workshop was organized in stages integrating theoretical exposition, practical demonstration and resolution of clinical cases to ensure a comprehensive approach to DAs. “The methodology adopted included prior preparation, with the viewing of informative videos for contextualization; dialogued exposition, promoting the exchange of knowledge and experiences among those involved; practical execution, in which DA strategies were applied in simulated situations; and active methodology, which used problematization and case studies to foster critical thinking and collaborative construction.”
The group contributed to the activities of recognizing the minimum components of a DA in the context of the SUS, describing the stages of construction of a DA and the thematic segmentation defined to start the development of the first version of the Decisional Aid was Sexual and Reproductive Health.
Workshop on the Construction of the Digital SUS Portal
On January 16, at BIREME in São Paulo, the workshop addressed the co-creation of the Digital SUS Portal. The content mapping, target audience and functionalities of the platform were discussed.
On the occasion, Secretary Ana Estela Haddad stressed that “SUS Digital must be an integrated brand, avoiding segmentation, and incorporating everything from situational diagnoses to strategies such as systems integration and data governance”. “The Secretary reaffirmed the Ministry of Health’s commitment to modernizing SUS. The new digital platform will offer an interactive communication channel with partners and the population, integrating all the dimensions of Digital SUS.”
The participants worked on prototypes and the construction of an effort-impact matrix. One of the main themes discussed was the need for a dynamic and integrative portal, structured in a modular way, allowing for progressive advancement in the implementation of functionalities.
The proposal is for the new SUS Digital Portal to be aligned with the SUS digital transformation guidelines, facilitating access for the population, the integration of systems and communication with different target audiences.
The events were attended by the SEIDIGI Secretary of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, Ana Estela Haddad, the Director of BIREME, João Paulo Souza, and the technical and project management teams. The programs allowed for effective exchanges and recommendations for effective technical cooperation actions with the Government of Brazil, a permanent member of BIREME’s Advisory Committee.
The recommended implementations are underway for the effective and contextualized development of the Second Formative Opinion, Decision Aids and SUS Digital Portal projects to support the digital transformation of the SUS in Brazil, and which will be a reference in supporting other Latin American and Caribbean countries.