Limitations of using the DATASUS database as a primary source of data in surgical research: a scoping review

ABSTRACT Objective: DATASUS is the Brazilian Public Unified Health System (SUS) department responsible for providing health data that are used as a primary source of data in several studies on surgery and surgical specialties although its main limitations have not been previously reviewed. The objective of this work is to synthesize information from studies on surgery that used DATASUS systems as a data source and to identify the main gaps in this platform. Methods: a scoping review was conducted according to the PRISMA-ScR method to identify papers on surgery, and other surgical specialties, that used the DATASUS platform as a primary data source. No restrictions were imposed regarding the type of study or year of publication. Grounded Theory was used to analyze the content of the articles. Results: 248 works were initially analyzed and 47 were included in the final analysis of this study. The original articles included were published between 2009 and 2022 and the majority (12.76%, n=6) were published in the Journal of the Brazilian College of Surgeons. Retrospective studies (40.43%, n=19) were the most common type of study found. Content analysis of the articles identified four predominant domains in the scientific literature about the limitations of using DATASUS in surgical research: lack of data, reliability, precision and data integration. Conclusion: the information systems available in DATASUS are the largest source of information about the SUS, but the scientific literature on the quality of data available in these systems remains scarce and studies aimed at measuring this metric are necessary. RESUMO Objetivo: o DATASUS é o departamento do SUS responsável por disponibilizar dados de saúde que são empregados como fonte primária de dados em diversos estudos sobre cirurgia e especialidades cirúrgicas, embora principais limitações não tenham sido revisadas anteriormente. O objetivo deste trabalho é sintetizar as informações de estudos sobre cirurgia que utilizaram sistemas do DATASUS como fonte de dados, identificando as principais lacunas. Métodos: uma revisão de escopo foi conduzida de acordo com o método PRISMA-ScR para a identificação de trabalhos sobre cirurgia, e outras especialidade cirúrgicas, que utilizaram a plataforma DATASUS como fonte primária de dados. Nenhuma restrição foi imposta em relação ao tipo de estudo ou ano de publicação. A Teoria Fundamentada em Dados foi utilizada para a análise do conteúdo dos artigos. Resultados: 248 traba