Qualidade dos dados, oportunidade e representatividade do sistema de vigilância epidemiológica da dengue em Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, 2012-2017

Objective: Evaluate the data quality, the opportunity and the representativeness of the dengue epidemiological surveillance system in Natal. Methods: Evaluative research, with data from suspected or confirmed dengue cases notified in the Notifiable Diseases Information System (Sinan), from 2012 to 2017. Results: A total of 49,655 cases were reported in this period. The overall completeness and consistency were outstanding, ranging from 94.8% to 100.0% and 91.1% to 100.0%. Completeness was regular for the variables on case evolution, race/skin color and schooling level. The system was considered timely, with an average of 3.4 to 6.8 days between symptom onset and notification. It was considered representative due to the high correlation between the number of hospitalizations for dengue obtained in Sinan and the Hospital Information System. Conclusion: The dengue surveillance system was considered complete, consistent, timely and representative, configuring itself as an important tool for the guidance of actions.