Period: 9 December 2024 to 9 May 2025

Guest Editors: Luiz Felipe Pinto (PhD in Public Health from Fiocruz, Associate Professor - UFRJ), Luiz Alexandre Chisini (PhD in Dentistry from UFPel, Adjunct Professor UFPel), Fernando Passos Cupertino de Barros (PhD in Health Sciences from UnB, Associate Professor UFG), Zulmira Hartz (PhD in Community Health from Université de Montreal, Canada, Retired Professor Fiocruz-RJ).

This proposal for a special themed issue is dedicated to the publication of articles that present the current state of the art, with the results of studies and research in the area of Digital Health, Artificial Intelligence and tools to support decision-making and management of public health services. It addresses the efforts of national health systems to integrate health care at all levels of the system. The issue has been at the centre of discussions for the last five years, as highlighted by Pimlott in an editorial  for Canada's leading primary health care journal, and by the WHO itself, which in 2024 published the Manual "Digital transformation handbook for primary health care: optimising person-centred point of service systems" with an emphasis on primary health care . Fundamentally, we are talking about increasing access, development, quality and efficiency of national health systems.

In addition, the Brazilian Ministry of Health recently updated the concepts of Digital Health and published Ordinance GM/MS No. 3,691 on 23 May 2024.

In this context, we welcome articles that address innovations in the area of Digital Health, which discuss the challenges and strategies related to the use of this and the use of Artificial Intelligence, especially in solutions aimed at identifying risk factors, optimising management processes, strengthening care at the different levels of health care, starting with primary health care. Analyses of algorithmic justice are also pertinent, with a focus on the search for AI models capable of promoting equity in health. We also look forward to receiving articles that present the results of the implementation of the modalities of care services provided for in Ordinance GM/MS No. 3,691 on 23 May 2024. An example of this implementation is the "Maré Digital" project , which has been developed since 2024 by Fiocruz with the Ministry of Health in partnership with the Municipal Health Department of Rio de Janeiro.

Objectives of the Thematic Issue:

• Encourage the dissemination of research, reflections and analyses that can subsidise the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of public health policies around the challenges of Digital Health, the use of AI and new digital tools for the management of public health services;
• - Encouraging / strengthening lines of research in the area of Digital Health and AI;
• To promote the critical analysis and exchange of experiences on the use of digital technologies and AI in public health, especially in the management and operation of services.
• Promoting algorithmic justice, with a focus on approaches that guarantee transparency, fairness and the reduction of potential biases in the application of AI in public health.
• Discuss Ordinance GM/MS No. 3,691 of 23 May 2024, especially presenting the results of the implementation of the types of care services it provides for, with an emphasis on primary care and health surveillance.

Types of Articles Accepted:

Original, unpublished work will be accepted, including: essays, literature reviews, methodological articles, studies on the implementation and use of Digital Health in health systems at local, regional or national level.

Article Submission Axes:

The articles submitted must address one or more of the following themes:

• - Digital Health in Primary Health Care;
• - Technological solutions and tools to support the management of public health services;
• - Artificial intelligence in image interpretation;
• - Machine and deep learning models for predicting different health problems;
• AI models for personalising care and monitoring patients in the service network.

Comments:

1. Priority will be given to those articles submitted that include in their discussion the use of Digital Health, AI and tools in local, regional or national management.
2. The papers submitted will be evaluated by the guest editors, by peers and by the editors of the Journal Ciência & Saúde Coletiva. In addition to focussing on one or more thematic lines, all articles must follow the guidelines and rules for submitting articles on the journal's website:

Portuguese:

https://cienciaesaudecoletiva.com.br/uploads/atualizacao_CSC_ptbr_2024_REV_Normas.pdf

Spanish:

https://cienciaesaudecoletiva.com.br/uploads/atualizacao_CSC_es_2024_REV_Normas.pdf

English:

https://cienciaesaudecoletiva.com.br/uploads/atualizacao_CSC_en_2024_REV_Normas.pdf

The articles will be published in Portuguese, English and Spanish.

Texts that do not fulfil the prerequisites will not be assessed. Texts should be sent in "doc/docx" (saved Word file) with all the authors' details (affiliation, ORCID, e-mail) to the e-mail address indicated in this call.

E-mail for submission: saudedigital2025@gmail.com

Please note: Articles previously submitted to the journal's ScholarONE Platform will not be considered for this thematic issue.

NOTE:

1. We only receive articles for the call at the e-mail address indicated.

      This issue is funded and selected authors are exempt from the submission fee.