Info-Santé and Info-Social

Info-Santé and Info-Social enable Quebecers to contact a nurse or social worker by telephone (Info-Santé 811) to answer health-related questions. For each call received, the health professional must complete a call sheet that summarizes its contents then assign it a predetermined category. The services’ database comprises the call sheets. Since the data are collected on an ongoing basis, they can be used for pre- and post-disaster comparisons (Authier, 2009).

Info-Santé data are disseminated in two different ways on the Infocentre de santé publique portal (for additional information on the Infocentre, see section 4.1. Certain indicators are disseminated under the “Surveillance” tab (syndromic surveillance) and data for such indicators are available in quasi real time, i.e. from the previous day. However, access to the data is restricted and only individuals authorized by their regional public health, infectious disease coordination or environmental health department can access them, depending on the database used. Another indicator is disseminated under the “Surveillance” tab. The data are updated annually. Section 4.1 indicates terms governing access to the “Surveillance” tab.

The SUPREME system (section 2.3) presents eight indicators from the Info-Social database, in particular the number of calls for “oppressive heat,” “heat-related diseases,” “poisoning” and “mental health problems.” Fewer details are presented in the SUPREME system than in Infocentre, but the SUPREME system is accessible to anyone in the health network.