This paper is the result of a Brazilian multidisciplinary public health working group and consists of a methodology developed to: a) identify the factors that influence the efficiency, effectiveness, and equity of the Brazilian public health system and understand how these factors function; b) improve the formulation of health policies; and c) monitor inequalities in access to and quality of health services among different population groups in Brazil. The methodology developed here is based on Australian and Canadian and PAHO proposals that use a "dashboard" approach, allowing one to examine and evaluate simultaneously multiple dimensions of health system performance. This article describes the experience of adapting and developing the methodology and provides suggestions on how such a system might be employed to improve health policy-making in Brazil.
Health system performance; Health indicators; Health services
