Towards an overarching European health information system

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Public Health Policy
• International Health Systems

Background:

• European health information systems (HIS) facilitate international comparisons and inform policy agendas.
• Collaboration among key stakeholders like WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO-Euro), European Commission, and OECD is crucial for effective health intelligence.
• Existing supra-international collaboration has achieved progress in joint data collection for healthcare statistics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the 'supra-international' collaboration within the European health information system.
• To identify areas for improvement in indicator harmonization, data collection, and coordination of reporting and R&D.
• To address barriers such as semantic confusion and inadequate coordination of national positions.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of existing supra-international collaboration in European health information systems.
• Review of progress in joint data collections and harmonization of indicators.
• Identification of barriers to effective collaboration and coordination.

Main Results:

• Progress has been made in joint data collections for monetary and non-monetary healthcare statistics.
• Significant room for improvement exists in indicator harmonization, data collection, and coordination of reporting and R&D.
• Semantic confusion regarding international HIS and inadequate coordination of national positions are key barriers.

Conclusions:

• A pragmatic, bottom-up approach is recommended over complex, comprehensive solutions.
• Leveraging current EU-level developments and initiatives like the European Health Information Initiative can advance the European HIS.
• Despite complexities, common ground exists for building a more effective supra-international collaboration.