Objective:

To understand the conceptions and practices around health surveillance from the perspective of managers in charge of this process.

Materials and methods:

Qualitative study carried out with eleven health surveillance managers of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, using semi-structured interviews as data collection technique. Iramuteq software helped with the data collection process, while the thematic content analysis technique was used for its analysis.

Results:

Participants consider health surveillance as an essential model within the Brazilian health system. However, contradictions were found in the way of deploying the actions developed and on the effectiveness of intra and intersectoral articulation. Reports on the precariousness of working conditions, the lack of human resources, and weaknesses in the occupational health sector, particularly, were also identified.

Conclusions:

The understanding of the concepts and mission of health surveillance has internal inconsistencies in the discourses about the implementation of collective planning and actions among the various areas in charge of this process. Rethinking the formative agenda of managers in the teaching-service interaction is required for the transformation of health surveillance practice.

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