Abstract
Objective: To gather solid and current information about the importance of health surveillance and its areas of operation and interfaces. It is also presented a discussion regarding its main challenges. Methods: It is an integrative review based on the online search in the databases: VHL, PubMed and SciELO. Research was carried out separately in English and Portuguese, using the descriptors "public health", "surveillance", "performance", "vigilância em saúde" and "atuação". Articles published between 2015 and 2020, full available and whose central focus of the discussion was surveillance, were included. Results: The sample consisted of 17 articles. It was found that surveillance is essential for health systems, with their divisions acting, each in their own area, in the identification, minimization and elimination of potential health risks, as well as in the early diagnosis, if these risks have already been converted into real problems. Final considerations: In order to achieve excellence, it is necessary not only to know the history and performance of health surveillance, but also to face its challenges, such as those identified in this work, making necessary to carry out a constant bibliographical survey on the themes that permeate the subject.