“Las miradas modifican los datos”. The construction of epidemiological data: an analysis from medical anthropology

Abstract

This article examines the process of recording health information in a primary healthcare center in Villa La Angostura, Neuquén, Argentina, from the perspective of medical anthropology. Through the analysis of 49,017 service records and interviews with 12 healthcare workers, we analyze how epidemiological data is constructed in daily practice. The findings reveal that, of the total records, 34,312 (70%) correspond to procedures, 14,685 (29.95%) to diagnoses where biomedical categories predominate and only 20 records (0.05%) refer to social aspects. Classification systems actively shape what can be documented. Workers assign various meanings to recording, from making professional practices visible to obtaining epidemiological information to guide interventions. Faced with system limitations, they develop alternative strategies to capture the observed complexity.