[Critical evaluation of the Primary Care Information System (SIAB) and its implementation in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil].

As the health information system used by the Family Health Program teams, the Primary Care Information System (SIAB) is a potential tool for follow-up of registered families and local planning, thus motivating the present study. Semi-structured interviews were held with key individuals in this health information system chain, among Family Health Teams in the municipality of Ribeirão Preto and surrounding region, São Paulo State, Brazil, with the objective of analyzing certain characteristics in the system, including: knowledge and having received training to handle it and utilization for local planning and social control. The study concluded that the SIAB is an easy system to handle, but that it presents some limitations already found in other health information systems, such as: difficulty in identifying individuals in the program, limited number of diseases reported, and limited utilization to back planning and decision-making at the local level. Therefore, the analysis of the SIAB was highly important for improving this health information system and can contribute to future improvements and adaptations in the program.