History of the development and implementation of a national system for the management of product samples in Health Surveillance

Introduction: Information is an essential tool for decision-making, and contributes to the "information-decision-action" process. Objective: To report the National Institute for Quality Control in Health (INCQS, by its acronym in Portuguese) experience in the development and implementation of a national information system for the management of samples of products of interest to health - from receipt in the laboratory to the issuance of analytical reports - and to present the possibility of its contribution to the National Health Surveillance System (SNVS). Method: This is a document analysis study on the development and implantation of Harpya (Sample Management System), its evolution and advances from 1986 to 2020. Access to the system by users, the existence of a centralized database, the implantation in the National Network of Laboratories Health Surveillance (RNLVISA, by its acronym in Portuguese) and the creation and use of nationally standardized catalogs were discussed. Results: The data and information generated by RNLVISA on the quality of products can generate scientific evidence for the identification of risk, being fundamental for the decision-making of managers. In addition, they contribute to the evaluation of laboratories and to the monitoring of market products, subsidizing health surveillance actions. Conclusions: The possibility of accessing data at the national level by different technical areas of the National Health Surveillance Agency stands out, supporting the coordination of the SNVS and also that Harpya's information can contribute with other information systems in the resolution of public health problems in the country.