Revista de Saúde Pública (Sep 2024)

Trend of incompleteness of the race/color variable in hospitalizations due to COVID-19 whose outcome was death in Brazil, 2020–2022

  • Hebert Luan Pereira Campos dos Santos,
  • Emmanuel Santos Trindade,
  • Esly Rebeca Amaral Oliveira,
  • Marcos Vinicius da Silva Cordeiro,
  • Rian Silva de Oliveira,
  • Elvira Caires de Lima,
  • Adriano Maia dos Santos,
  • Nília Maria de Brito Lima Prado

DOI
https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2024058006032
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 58

Abstract

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ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To analyze the incompleteness and trend of incompleteness of the race/color variable in hospitalizations due to COVID-19 whose outcome was death, in Brazil, between April 2020 and April 2022. METHODS Ecological time series study on the incompleteness of the race/color variable in hospitalizations due to COVID-19 whose outcome was death in Brazil, its macro-regions and Federative Units (FU), by joinpoint regression, calculation of Monthly Percent Change (MPC) and Average Monthly Percent Change (AMPC), based on data from the Hospital Information System of the Unified Health System (SIH/SUS). RESULTS The incompleteness of the race/color variable in COVID-19 hospitalizations with a death outcome in Brazil was 25.85%, considered poor. All regions of the country had a poor degree of incompleteness, except for the South, which was considered regular. In the period analyzed, the joinpoint analysis revealed a stable trend in the incompleteness of the race/color variable in Brazil (AMPC = 0.54; 95%CI: -0.64 to 1.74; p = 0.37) and in the Southeast (AMPC = -0.61; 95%CI: -3.36 to 2.22; p = 0.67) and North (AMPC = 3.74; 95%CI: -0.14 to 7.78; p = 0.06) regions. The South (AMPC = 5.49; 95%CI: 2.94 to 8.11; p = 0.00002) and Northeast (AMP = 2.50; 95%CI: 0.77 to 4.25; p = 0.005) regions showed an increase in the incompleteness trend, while the Midwest (AMPC = -2.91 ; 95%CI: -5.26 to -0.51; p = 0.02) showed a downward trend. CONCLUSION The proportion of poor completeness and the stable trend of incompleteness show that there was no improvement in the quality of filling in the race/color variable during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, a fact that may have increased health inequalities for the black population and made it difficult to plan strategic actions for this population, considering the pandemic context. The results found reinforce the need to encourage discussion on the subject, given that the incompleteness of health information systems increases inequalities in access to health services and compromises the quality of health data.

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