HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT: DATA, INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE AS A FOUNDATION FOR DECISION-MAKING

Background: Manpower, financial capital and technology are considered vital resources for any organization, however, information has become prominent and has become a valuable asset equivalent to any other scarce resource being able to revolutionize the way we work and think. To understand how Primary Health Care professionals use information in the decision-making process and support managers in this understanding. Methods: Exploratory study carried out in 18 health services in the city of São Paulo. The data were collected in April 2020 and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences program was used for analysis. Results: In the understanding of 98% of the participants, it is the Institution's duty to promote conditions for its professionals to overcome barriers in the use of information, and in the assessment of 58%, the Institution has been offering tools in order to develop conditions for overcoming them. Conclusions: Information Management is not widespread in health services, the scenario seems to demonstrate the need for the Institution to repeatedly assess whether the tools made available to professionals are being incorporated into the decision-making process.