Epidemiology and Health Services: the trajectory of the Brazilian National Health System Journal

Leila Posenato Garcia Elisete Duarte About the authors

Abstract

Epidemiology and Health Services – Brazilian National Health System Journal (Epidemiologia e Serviços de Saúde - RESS) is a scientific journal published by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. It is the continuation of the Brazilian National Health System Epidemiological Report (Informe Epidemiológico do SUS - IESUS), created in 1992. Its name changed to Epidemiology and Health Services in 2003. RESS is centred on epidemiology in health services. Its mission is to disseminate epidemiological knowledge applicable to the surveillance, prevention and control of diseases relevant to Public Health, aiming to improve the services offered by the Brazilian National Health System. This article describes RESS’ trajectory, right from its creation as IESUS, up until its consolidation as an important Brazilian scientific journal in the Public Health field. Initiatives that have contributed to the journal's development are highlighted, such as the revision and implementation of the plan to strengthen the journal, the growth of its editorial board, actions aimed at promoting publication integrity, as well as activities to disseminate it, including the creation of the RESS Evidencia Prize. As a result, RESS has evolved greatly in terms of its performance indicators and was indexed in relevant bibliographical databases.

Key words
Periodicals as topic; Uses of epidemiology; Health services epidemiology; Unified Health System; Information dissemination

Introduction

Epidemiology and Health Services – Brazilian Health System Journal (Epidemiologia e Serviços de Saúde – revista do Sistema Único de Saúde do Brasil - RESS) is the only scientific journal published by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. RESS is the only Brazilian scientific journal focusing on epidemiology and health services and, more specifically, on the services provided by the Brazilian National Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde – SUS). It is also the most widely circulated Brazilian scientific periodical, being distributed free of charge in all Brazilian municipalities.

RESS also stands out owing to its wide audience, given that it reaches not only academics in its study field, but also health workers and managers at a variety of SUS levels. Its main mission is to disseminate epidemiological knowledge applicable to the surveillance, prevention and control of diseases relevant to Public Health, aiming to improve the services offered by the SUS.

RESS is the continuation of the SUS Epidemiological Report (Informe Epidemiológico do SUS - IESUS), created in 1992 and published by the National Epidemiology Centre of the Brazilian National Health Foundation (Centro Nacional de Epidemiologia, Fundação Nacional de Saúde - CENEPI/FUNASA). Its name changed to “Epidemiology and Health Services” in 2003 when the Health Surveillance Secretariat (Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde – SVS) of the Brazilian Ministry of Health was created. SVS has been responsible for publishing the journal ever since.

Right from its first edition, RESS has evolved and changed, without however altering neither its scope – epidemiological surveillance and health surveillance on a broader level – nor its purpose – to contribute to the improvement of services offered by the SUS.

This article describes RESS’ trajectory, right from its creation as IESUS, up until its consolidation as an important Brazilian scientific journal in the Public Health field.

From SUS Epidemiological Report to Epidemiology and Health Services Journal

IESUS was created in 1992 within CENEPI/FUNASA, with the aim of organizing and disseminating, in a wider manner, certain epidemiological information that until then had been accumulating separately in different Ministry of Health departments1Chequer P, Teixeira, MG. Introdução. Inf Epidemiol Sus 1(1):6..

The foreword to the first edition of IESUS was written by Dr. Adib Jatene, the then Minister of Health, who presented it as a tool for disseminating epidemiological data of public interest, as well as being a space for debating with society. The first IESUS editors were: Pedro Chequer, Maria da Glória Teixeira, Maria Goretti P. F. Medeiros, Moisés Goldbaum, Euclides Castilho and Maria Lucia F. Penna. In the years that followed, these and other editors worked to produce IESUS and made an important contribution to its development.

The first editions of IESUS published tables containing periodically consolidated data on the distribution of mandatory reportable diseases in the Brazilian regions and states. Up until 1995 it also published data on SUS-funded hospital admissions. Apart from the series of data, articles were also published on issues relevant to epidemiological surveillance, such as the outbreak of cholera in Brazil referred to in the first edition2Penna MLF, Silva LP. Algumas considerações sobre a ocorrência de cólera no Brasil. Inf Epidemiol Sus 1(1):7-11. of the Report, the cover page of which can be seen in Figure 1.

Figure 1
Cover of the Brazilian National Health System Epidemiological Report (IESUS) first issue, 1992.

The process of IESUS’ editorial production during this initial stage was characterized by strong ties with its sponsor, CENEPI/FUNASA, this being a fundamental factor for its implantation.

According to Silva Júnior3Silva Junior JB. A trajetória do informe epidemiológico do SUS. Inf Epidemiol Sus [Internet]. 2002 Dez [acessado 2015 abr 06]; 11(4):201-202. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-16732002000400001&lng=pt.
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, in this first period of its existence, “IESUS had a hybrid nature, a mixture of a bulletin publicizing epidemiological data and a journal disseminating articles”.

In 1998, IESUS underwent an important transformation, whereby its editorial board was enlarged and experts in epidemiology and public health were incorporated, in addition to a new graphic design similar to that which would later be used by RESS. The position of Editor-in-Chief was created and taken up by CENEPI's director at that time, in addition to now having three executive editors. A “board of rapporteurs” was also set up, comprised of guest experts in the areas covered by the journal and who would later become CENEPI‘s Board of Consultants3Silva Junior JB. A trajetória do informe epidemiológico do SUS. Inf Epidemiol Sus [Internet]. 2002 Dez [acessado 2015 abr 06]; 11(4):201-202. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-16732002000400001&lng=pt.
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During this time of transformation, IESUS’ graphic design was revamped, its size was enlarged to A4, its bibliographical references were formatted according to the Vancouver Style and article abstracts were included. The number of copies per edition were increased to 25,000 and distributed in of all Brazil's municipalities, thus making IESUS the most widely circulated scientific journal in the country3Silva Junior JB. A trajetória do informe epidemiológico do SUS. Inf Epidemiol Sus [Internet]. 2002 Dez [acessado 2015 abr 06]; 11(4):201-202. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-16732002000400001&lng=pt.
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More importantly, IESUS began publishing mostly original articles relating to defined themes which included health situation assessments; aetiological studies; epidemiological evaluation of services, epidemiological surveillance programmes and technologies, and epidemiological surveillance evaluation. Other article types for publication were also defined: review articles on issues relevant to public health; meeting and workshop reports; comments; notes; and article reprints.

In 1999, IESUS published a Portuguese language version of the International Committee of Medical Journals Editors (ICMJE) Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts submitted to Biomedical Journals4Requisitos uniformes para manuscritos submetidos a Periódicos Biomédicos Comitê Internacional de Editores de Periódicos Médicos. Inf Epidemiol Sus [Internet]. 1999 Jun [acessado 2015 abr 06]; 8(2):5-16. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-16731999000200002&lng=pt
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. The recommendations current at that time, known as “Vancouver Style,” also became a guide for the editorial process and ethical matters involved in all the stages of this process.

According to Silva Júnior5Silva Junior JB. A utilidade do IESUS para os Serviços de Saúde. Inf Epidemiol Sus [Internet]. 1999 Jun [acessado 2015 abr 06]; 8(2):3-3. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-16731999000200001&lng=pt
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, during its second period in which it aimed to reach workers involved in the health system and health services, IESUS “also puts itself forward as a space open to academic production more directed towards the reality of health in Brazil and production coming from professionals working with disease epidemiology, prevention and control”. At that time, although IESUS was a “young” journal published outside the academic world, the expectation was that it would contribute “to encouraging reflection among health workers and increasing the ability to solve urgent Public Health problems”5Silva Junior JB. A utilidade do IESUS para os Serviços de Saúde. Inf Epidemiol Sus [Internet]. 1999 Jun [acessado 2015 abr 06]; 8(2):3-3. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-16731999000200001&lng=pt
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Forty-nine issues of IESUS were published between 1992 and 2002. They contain a variety of articles providing an important record of the development of health information systems and the evolution of the analysis of the data produced by these systems. According to Gomes, the dissemination of themes relating to health information systems through IESUS reflected “not only editorial interest, but also the efforts of qualified professionals working in the sector to improve the quality of information available for public health actions”6Gomes FBC. Abordagem epidemiológica dos sistemas de informação no Brasil: gerenciamento, rea lização de pesquisas e divulgação no IESUS. Inf. Epidemiol. Sus [Internet]. 2001 Set [acessado 2015 abr 06]; 10(3):109-112. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104=16732001000300001-&lng-pt.
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In this way, the period prior to the creation of RESS brought together the conditions necessary for it to be proposed, this time under the responsibility of the Health Surveillance Secretariat (SVS) of the Brazilian Ministry of Health. IESUS had become a more consistent and mature publication at the time it stopped being published. Its continuity and the reinforcement of the option for scientific journal were ensured by the creation of Epidemiology and Health Services, The Brazilian Unified Health System Journal, in 2003.

SVS was created in the same year and brought together under single management communicable disease surveillance, prevention and control activities under the responsibility of the Federal Government which, up until 2002 had been dispersed among different Ministry of Health departments. The actions and programmes formerly coordinated by CENEPI/FUNASA were brought together with the STD and AIDS, tuberculosis, Hansen's disease and hepatitis programmes, formerly subordinated to the demised Health Policies Secretariat. In addition, a new Health Situation Assessment Department was created within the structure of SVS. The General Coordination for the Development of Epidemiology in Health Services (CGDEP), from the Health Surveillance Management Department (DEGEV), became responsible for publishing RESS7Silva Junior JB. A nova face da vigilância epidemioló-gica. Epidemiol Serv Saude [Internet]. 2003 Mar [acessado 2015 jan 06]; 12(1):5-6. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-49742003000100001&lng=pt.
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SVS was created with the aim of strengthening health surveillance actions. Within this context, RESS stood out as one of the instruments to be used so that the newly created SVS could fulfil its mission to make epidemiological knowledge public7Silva Junior JB. A nova face da vigilância epidemioló-gica. Epidemiol Serv Saude [Internet]. 2003 Mar [acessado 2015 jan 06]; 12(1):5-6. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-49742003000100001&lng=pt.
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Most of the members of the editorial board, the executive secretariat and the board of rapporteurs who had been mainly responsible for IESUS’ progress since 1999 remained during the transition from IESUS to RESS. The changes to the publication's title and format arose from the need to be brought into line with the journal's new role which, although it had kept the same scientific nature and editorial line as IESUS, was now explicitly directed towards health services7Silva Junior JB. A nova face da vigilância epidemioló-gica. Epidemiol Serv Saude [Internet]. 2003 Mar [acessado 2015 jan 06]; 12(1):5-6. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-49742003000100001&lng=pt.
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Evolution and consolidation of the Epidemiology and Health Services journal

The first edition of the journal bearing the new name RESS was published at the end of 2003 (volume 12, number 1). Figure 2 shows this edition's cover page.

Figure 2
Cover of Epidemiology and Health Services (RESS) first issue, 2003.

The journal's mission postulated at that time has remained in place to the present day: “RESS’ main mission is to disseminate epidemiological knowledge applicable to the surveillance, prevention and control of diseases relevant to Public Health, aiming to improve the services offered by the SUS.

SVS’ relative institutional stability in the years that followed, as well as the continued participation of most of RESS’ editors and editorial board members in this period, were important factors for the journal becoming institutionalized, whilst RESS also sought to ensure conditions to enable its consolidation as a scientific journal in the area of epidemiology applied to health surveillance. Such conditions achieved in earlier stages therefore needed to be maintained, while new challenges arose, in particular with regard to increasing the number of original articles published each year, reducing the time spent on reviewing submitted manuscripts, professionalization and modernization of the editorial process, in addition to achieving the highest possible scientific quality of the articles published. All of these were objectives to be pursued, but without straying from the journal's established mission and purpose. In the period that followed, several additional strategies were implemented, which combined with the efforts made during this period, culminated in RESS achieving promising results.

A new phase of strengthening the journal began in 2011, and this was to consolidate its trajectory. Standing out at the beginning of this period were the creation of the position of scientific Editor and an increase in the number of members of the Editorial Board and the editorial team8Posenato L, Duarte E. Fortalecendo a revista do Sistema Único de Saúde. Epidemiol Serv Saude [Internet]. 2011 Set [acessado 2015 abr 07]; 20(3):273-273. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-49742011000300001&lng=pt.
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. The plan to strengthen RESS was also reviewed, providing for a series of actions aimed at enhancing the journal and bringing it into line with publishing standards to meet the indexation criteria of more far-reaching bibliographical databases.

In an editorial published in the first 2012 edition of RESS (vol. 21, n. 1)9Barbosa J. A política editorial como instrumento de fortalecimento das ações de Vigilância em Saúde do Sistema Único de Saúde. Epidemiol Serv Saude [Internet]. 2012 Mar [acessado 2015 abr 07];21(1):05-06. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script =sci_arttext&pid=S1679=49742012000100001-&lng-pt.
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, the journal was highlighted as one of the three main publications within SVS’ editorial policy, alongside the Epidemiological Bulletin – relaunched in March 2012– and the book series entitled Brazilian Health (Saúde Brasil), the first edition of which was launched in 2004. Although they have different formats and objectives, these publications are complementary and offer relevant information and analyses, principally for SUS workers and managers. According to Silva Júnior7Silva Junior JB. A nova face da vigilância epidemioló-gica. Epidemiol Serv Saude [Internet]. 2003 Mar [acessado 2015 jan 06]; 12(1):5-6. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-49742003000100001&lng=pt.
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, these “are important instruments for the regular dissemination of information, analyses and epidemiological studies which can contribute to reflection, enhancement and strengthening of Health Surveillance practices, actions and services in Brazil”.

Also as part of the plan to strengthen RESS, a review was made of the instructions for authors and the journal's editorial workflow, resulting in the incorporation of new article modalities. Examples of these are research notes and experience reports, the latter involving the description of experiences in epidemiology, surveillance, prevention and control of diseases of interest to Public Health, thus creating a space for publicizing experiences selected for presentation at the editions of the National Exhibition of Successful Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Experiences (EXPOEPI).

Still in relation to EXPOEPI, another initiative aimed at strengthening and publicizing the journal was the creation of the RESS Evidencia Prize, in recognition of the best original article published by the journal each year. The RESS Evidencia Prize was implemented by SVS Ordinance No. 25, dated October 1st 2012. Its objectives are to encourage the production of original articles related to health surveillance which contribute to the enhancement of disease surveillance, prevention and control of Public Interest, as well as publicizing the journal1010 Brasil. Ministério da Saúde (MS). Portaria n° 25, de 1 de outubro de 2012. Diário Oficial da União 2012; 2 out.. The first edition of the RESS Evidence Prize was held in 2012 and awarded during the 12th EXPOEPI.

All original articles published by RESS are automatically candidates for the prize, except when their authors include at least one of the journal's editors. Articles considered to be eligible for competing for the prize are appraised by a panel of specialists which selects three finalist articles. These articles are presented at a competitive presentation during EXPOEPI and the audience votes to select the best article as the prize-winner. In addition to publicizing the journal and valuing the work of the authors, holding the final stage of the RESS Evidence Prize at EXPOEPI consolidates the journal's participation in this event which is so important for epidemiology in health services in Brazil. The result of the prize is announced during the EXPOEPI closing ceremony. The authors of the prizewinning articles receive a certificate and a “trophy” bearing the symbol of EXPOEPI.

At the same time as the implementation of the plan to strengthen the journal, RESS also undertook important initiatives aimed at improving the writing skills of potential authors, such as the publication of a thematic series entitled “Scientific Communication,” prepared by Prof. Mauricio Gomes Pereira1111 Garcia LP. Comunicação e redação científica para a epidemiologia e os serviços de Saúde. Epidemiol Serv Saude [Internet]. 2012 Jun [acessado 2015 abr 07]; 21(2):193-194. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-49742012000200001&lng=pt
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. The seven articles in this series were published in 2012 and 2013 (vol. 21, n. 2 to vol. 22, n. 4)1212 Pereira MG. Estrutura do artigo científico. Epidemiol Serv Saude [Internet]. 2012 jun [acessado 2014 fev 18]; 21(2):351-352. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-49742012000200018&lng=pt
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1818 Pereira MG. O resumo de um artigo científico. Epidemiol Serv Saude [Internet]. 2013 dez [acessado 2014 fev 18]; 22(4):707-708. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-49742013000400017&lng=pt
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. Also worthy of note is the participation of the editorial team in a variety of courses on scientific writing aimed at improving the skills of SVS professionals.

Actions undertaken by RESS with the aim of promoting research integrity and ethics in scientific publication are also noteworthy. The training of the editorial team, principally through participation in national and international events on themes related to scientific publication was fundamental for these initiatives1919 Garcia LP. Revisão sistemática da literatura e integridade na pesquisa. Epidemiol Serv Saude [Internet]. 2014 Mar [acessado 2015 abr 07]; 23(1):7-8. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-49742014000100001&lng=pt.
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. In 2013 (vol. 22, n. 4), RESS published the Portuguese version of the updated ICMJE Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts submitted to Biomedical Journals2020 Garcia LP, Pereira MG. Normas de Vancouver 2013. Epidemiol Serv Saude [Internet]. 2013 Dez [acessado 2015 abr 07]; 22(4):555-556. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-49742013000400001&lng=pt.
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,2121 Recomendações para a elaboração, redação, edição e publicação de trabalhos acadêmicos em periódicos médicos. Epidemiol Serv Saude [Internet]. 2013 Dez [acessado 2015 abr 07]; 22(4):709-732. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-49742013000400018&lng=pt.
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. The following year (vol. 23, n. 1), it published a Portuguese version of the Montreal Statement on Research Integrity in Cross-Boundary Research Collaborations1919 Garcia LP. Revisão sistemática da literatura e integridade na pesquisa. Epidemiol Serv Saude [Internet]. 2014 Mar [acessado 2015 abr 07]; 23(1):7-8. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-49742014000100001&lng=pt.
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,2222 Declaração de Montreal sobre integridade em pesquisa e colaborações em investigações que cruzam fronteiras. Epidemiol Serv Saude [Internet]. 2014 Mar [acessado 2015 abr 07]; 23(1):185-186. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-49742014000100019&lng=pt.
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. With effect from 2013, RESS began providing its ad hoc reviewers with the Portuguese version of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines for peer reviewers2323 Committee Publication Ethics. COPE Ethical Guidelines for peer reviewers. [Internet]. 2013 Mar [acessado 2015 mar 18]; 1. Disponível em: http://publicationethi-cs.org/files/Ethical_guidelines_for_peer_reviewers_0.pdf
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Also fundamental to the implementation of the plan to strengthen RESS was the support of the Evandro Chagas Institute Documentation and Information Centre (CEDIM/IEC) and the partnership with the Brazilian Journal of Epidemiology, edited by the Brazilian Public Health Association (Associação Brasileira de Saúde Coletiva - ABRASCO).

Indicators demonstrate the progress made in recent years by RESS as a result of implementing its strengthening plan. There has been an increase in the number of articles submitted, the number of articles published, article citations, as well as all subsequent editions of the journal having been produced and published on time and the incorporation of editorial practices based on the most up to date ethical standards.

Graph 1 illustrates the evolution of the number of articles published by RESS, according to article type.

Graph 1
Number of articles published in Epidemiology and Health Services, according to manuscript type, 2003-2014.

Another important result was RESS being indexed in relevant bibliographical databases, such as the SciELO Brasil collection (in June 2014) and the SciELO Public Health (Saúde Pública) collection in March 2015. The rigorous selection process used to accept periodicals comprising these libraries vouches for RESS’ relevance and quality in being able to satisfy the criteria applied to the main Brazilian public health scientific periodicals2424 Garcia LP, Duarte E. A Revista Epidemiologia e Serviços de Saúde ingressa na Coleção SciELO Brasil. Epidemiol Serv Saude [Internet]. 2014 Set [acessado 2015 Abr 07]; 23(3):387-388. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-49742014000300001&lng=pt
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Despite being a periodical linked to Federal health administration in Brazil, rather than to a research institution or a professional association, like the majority of scientific journals, RESS’ editorial process is autonomous and does not differ from that of other Brazilian journals in the Public Health field in the majority of its aspects. RESS uses the peer review process and follows ICMJE2121 Recomendações para a elaboração, redação, edição e publicação de trabalhos acadêmicos em periódicos médicos. Epidemiol Serv Saude [Internet]. 2013 Dez [acessado 2015 abr 07]; 22(4):709-732. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-49742013000400018&lng=pt.
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and COPE2525 Committee Publication Ethics. Code of conduct and best practice guidelines for journal editors. [Internet]. 2013 Mar [acessado 2015 mar 18]. Disponível em: http://pu-blicationethics.org/files/Code%20of%20Conduct.pdf
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guidelines. The stages of the peer review used by RESS are described its instructions to authors2626 Brasil. Ministério da Saúde (MS). Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Coordenação-Geral de Desenvolvimento da Epidemiologia em Serviços. Normas para publicação [Internet]. Brasília: MS; 2014.[acessado 2015 mar 18]. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/revistas/ess/pinstruc.htm
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Standing out as an element reinforcing RESS’ autonomy is its low degree of endogeny, i.e., the majority of the Board of Editors, authors and reviewers are external to SVS, the institution responsible for publishing RESS. Moreover, since the elimination of the position of Scientific Editor in 2014, the position of RESS’ Editor-in-Chief has been occupied by an epidemiologist belonging to an institution external to the Ministry of Health, namely the Institute of Applied Economic Research (Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada – IPEA).

In truth, the fact of RESS being linked to the Ministry of Health and the responsibility for publishing it lying with CGDEP/SVS has been an essential factor for ensuring its maintenance during its almost 25 years of existence. Another of CGDEP/SVS‘ attributions is training SUS health surveillance workers and this includes fostering postgraduate specialization and professional master's degree courses in health surveillance. RESS is a privileged space for the dissemination of the products of these courses – final dissertations –, given its outstanding ability to reach SUS workers and its editorial interest in promoting partnerships between them and members of the academic world. 29 of the 72 original articles, review articles, research notes and experience reports published in RESS in 2014 had at least one academic author and one health service author.

The themes of the majority of the articles published in RESS reflect Brazil's epidemiological situation. For the most part articles are about communicable diseases, external causes, chronic non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health, occupational health, environmental health and oral health. Recently there has been an increase in the number of articles derived from studies evaluating programmes and public policies and these are considered to be extremely pertinent to the journal's scope.

Figure 3 provides a summary of RESS’ trajectory from its creation to the present day, highlighting the main features of its editorial process, by periods and events of relevance to its progress.

Figure 3
Historical evolution of Epidemiology and Health Services – Brazilian National Health System Journal, 1992-2015.

Epidemiology and Health Services: commitments and perspectives

The process of RESS’ consolidation occurred in parallel to the development of health surveillance actions within SUS and also in parallel to the process of SUS becoming consolidated. IESUS, the periodical which was the precursor to RESS, was created only four years after SUS came into being via the 1988 Federal Constitution2727 Brasil. Constituição da República Federativa do Brasil de 1988. Diário Oficial da União 1988; 5 out.. Since then RESS has contributed to the transformation of the role of epidemiology in health services and to disseminating the importance and the usefulness of epidemiological analyses for health services and management, at local primary care centre level, state level and federal level. Furthermore, RESS has lived through and recorded the growth of the presence of epidemiology and the use of epidemiological methods and instruments in public health decision-making. It has also accompanied the development of health information systems in Brazil and has published many articles containing analyses of data derived from such systems.

In recent years there has been significant growth in scientific production in the area of public health in Brazil, reflecting the increase in number of postgraduate programmes in this area. Between 2011 and 2014, SVS alone supported the development of 22 postgraduate specialization and professional master's degree courses in health surveillance (involving 2,207 postgraduates) and to a certain extent this strengthens integration between academia and health services. At the same time, public health has advanced in that the scientific standards of evidence-based interventions and actions have been enhanced2828 Victora CG, Habicht JP, Bryce J. Evidence-Based Public Health: Moving Beyond Randomized Trials. Am J Public Health 2004; 94(3):400-405..

Within this context RESS has become consolidated as an important means for disseminating scientific production in the Public Health field in Brazil. After having achieved indexation in bibliographic databases that use rigorous criteria for journal indexing, RESS is now among the main Brazilian journals in that field.

Notwithstanding the progress achieved, the RESS team remains committed to the journal's constant improvement. Initiatives to achieve this in the near future include an electronic submission system and the publication in English of entire articles selected by the editors alongside the original version in Portuguese, in the electronic edition of the journal.

RESS is a privileged medium for disseminating within SUS scientific contents regarding epidemiology and will continue to publish all its contents in Portuguese. Its printed version will also continue to be produced and distributed free of charge, although keeping the database of its 30,000 subscribers up to date is a permanent challenge to ensuring that the journal reaches its readers in the different Brazilian municipalities.

Another RESS initiative to strengthen the use of epidemiology in health services is the publication of the thematic series entitled “Applying Epidemiology”. It began being published in the first edition of 2015 (v. 24, n. 1) with the article “Translational epidemiology: some considerations,” written by Professor Moyses Szklo2929 Szklo M. Epidemiologia translacional: algumas considerações. Epidemiol Serv Saude [Internet]. 2015 Mar [citado 2015 Maio 11]; 24(1):161-172. Disponível em: http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-49742015000100018&lng=pt
http://scielo.iec.pa.gov.br/scielo.php?s...
. Other conceptual and methodological aspects of applied epidemiology, with articles from guest authors, will provide continuity to this initiative.

In the future new challenges will arise, such as indexation in other international scientific literature databases, like Medline, the United States of America National Library of Medicine's (NLM) premier bibliographic database.

Although RESS has undergone transformations, it is important to highlight that the journal has not strayed from its mission, nor from its particularity of transiting between health services and academia, seeking to integrate the important contributions of both of them.

In 2016 RESS will commemorate 25 years of existence. The prospects for the journal are to continue contributing to the development of epidemiology in health surveillance actions, by disseminating useful knowledge to health service workers and managers at different SUS management levels.

References

Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    July 2015

History

  • Received
    15 Apr 2015
  • Reviewed
    23 Apr 2015
  • Accepted
    25 Apr 2015
ABRASCO - Associação Brasileira de Saúde Coletiva Rio de Janeiro - RJ - Brazil
E-mail: revscol@fiocruz.br