Reflections on the use of big data in predictive models for epidemiological surveillance in Brazil

Abstract

Objective: to discuss the bioethical implications from the announcement of Digital Health by the World Health Organization and the use of big data in the production of predictive health surveillance systems in Brazil. Methods: conducted a narrative review based on the search for articles on Scielo, Bireme, Jstor platforms and at the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health of Brazil webpages, with the keywords big data, bioethics and ethics, from May to July 2020. Results: limits were evidenced in the use of big data as an epidemiological forecasting surveillance tool, notably with its use during the Covid-19 pandemic, although justified by the Bioethics of Protection Theory and Public Health Ethics. The greatest limits observed were the absence of adequate data protection legislation and bias in the data obtained. Conclusion: in order to analyze the bioethical impacts of the use of big data in the medicine of the future, it is essential to deepen the discussion on the possible impacts that the use of these technologies can have on life in society, with an emphasis on the development of surveillance capitalism, on interference in life and the intensification of regional inequalities.