A vision for public health assessment in Canada by 2030: Public discussion guide

On this page

• About public health assessment
• About Vision 2030
• Why a vision
• What the vision will include

About public health assessment

Many public health professionals use the term 'public health surveillance' to describe an on-going process of health data:

• collection
• analysis
• interpretation
• dissemination

This process lets us plan, implement and evaluate interventions to protect and improve the health of different populations.

However, for many people the word 'surveillance' means something different. On this page, we instead use the term 'assessment' in 2 ways:

1. To include monitoring environmental and health status and response to identified problems and hazards.
2. Interchangeably with surveillance, which is an important part of public health systems aimed at protecting and improving population health.

About Vision 2030

The Public Health Agency of Canada is leading Vision 2030, an initiative to envision what public health assessment in Canada should look like by 2030.

Public health assessment includes monitoring environmental and health status and response to identified problems and hazards. It involves generating the data and information needed to detect and understand health threats. It does this with the goal of promoting and protecting the health of people living in Canada.

The data and information we get from assessments are important for guiding public health actions, such as:

• recommending vaccines to protect people
• setting up vaccine clinics to reduce the spread of flu
• creating special clinics in areas where it's hard to see a doctor or specialist
• making it easier for people to get tested and treated for diseases to prevent further spread

The information we receive and analyze is collected in batches and is analyzed based on groups of people, and not individuals.

Over the last 20 years, public health assessment has had to adapt to take into account:

• new diseases and health threats
• changes in how we manage and regulate data
• the increase of and availability of new data and technologies

Despite these advances, the context for public health assessment continues to evolve and systems must continue to adapt. This initiative is an opportunity to re-envision how public health assessment systems can remain useful and ready to respond to future public health issues.

Why a vision

A vision can help to make public health assessment systems in Canada stronger by engaging with the public and stakeholders. It should adapt to changing public health needs and ensure the information collected improves the health of all people living in Canada.

To develop this vision, we'll engage with:

• academics
• Indigenous people and communities
• members of the public and community leaders
• domestic and international public health professionals
• people working in non-governmental and governmental organizations

Public health assessment is a collective effort. By collecting input from these contributors, the vision strengthens public health assessment according to their priorities.

What the vision will include

A high-functioning public health assessment ecosystem should include how assessment systems and programs work both on their own and together. As such, the vision will also explain:

• the impact of public health assessment
• critical public health assessment components, such as:
  • partnerships
  • data governance
  • human resources
  • IT and informatics
  • diagnostic capacity
• how to identify and coordinate public health assessment priorities
• how core public health assessment processes should function within systems
• the information the ecosystem needs to drive timely and effective public health action at various levels

For example, public health assessment in Canada in 2030 should:

• advance our understanding of public health issues and inequities
• strengthen our ability to respond to new and emerging threats, including:
  • infectious disease
  • injuries and chronic diseases
  • climate-related health impacts

Finally, the vision will be based on science and evidence, and rooted in real-world examples. It will be transparent about evidence gaps, particularly where research and development can clarify the path forward. When developing the vision, we'll explore themes related to:

• the practice of public health assessment and response
• the pan-Canadian public health assessment ecosystem

When the initiative is complete, we'll openly publish and share the vision for public health assessment in Canada for 2030.

Related links

• Visioning the Future: First Nations, Inuit, & Métis Population and Public Health (PDF, 8.4 MB)