The document discusses proposed ways for the European Commission and other European health organizations to enhance technical collaboration on health information sharing and reduce data reporting burdens. It suggests that organizations should better coordinate their data collection efforts by aligning collections, timing, and indicators to reduce duplication; expand joint data collections in core areas and identify redundant indicators; and work to harmonize metadata, definitions, and reporting methods. The overall goals are to facilitate more automated reporting between EU and national levels, ensure stability of indicators over time, and mitigate costs of data collection.

1. European Commission on the
proposed enhanced technical
collaboration in health information
Philippe Roux – Head of Unit
Country Knowledge and Scientific Committees Unit
European Commission DG Health and Food Safety
1

2. Data flows in the EU
European
Commission
(Estat, JRC…)
European
Agencies (e.g.
ECDC; EMCDDA;
EEA…)
WHO
Public
health
institutes
Statistical
Offices Registries,
hospitals
OECD
EU funded projects (e.g.
EUBIROD, EHLEIS, ECHI,
Europeristat…)

3. 3
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Reduce
Indicators
Number
Better
International
Organizations
Coordination
Reduce Costly
Collection
Methods
Enhance
Automated
Reporting
Facilitate
EU/National
Indicators
Conversion
Ensure Indicators
Stability
Perceived importance of possible ways to mitigate data
reporting burden (150 stakeholders)
VH H Int L VL
Better coordination among international
organisations is more important
than the number of indicators
Source: Cost/benefit analysis of a sustainable EU Health Information System, Economisti Associati
https://publications.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/ed1f7697-6141-11e7-8dc1-01aa75ed71a1/language-en/format-PDF

4. where possible…
• Align data collections within the individual organisations;
• Align timing of data collections with other organisations;
• Enhance data sharing with other organisations;
• Work towards omitting indicators that are collected by
another organisation
4
Individual Commitments

5. Data collections and data exchange
• Expand Joint Data Collections in areas of core mandate of each entity, and
identify possible variables that could be dropped based on policy-relevance;
• Coordinate the timing of separate but related data requests where possible;
• Develop online tools that would allow Member States to submit data at once;
• Examine expanding the Joint Data Collections to mortality and health status.
Harmonisation of metadata and methods
• Develop the WHO EHII indicator mapping exercise further and use the results
as a basis to identify currently collected indicators that may be deprioritised;
• Harmonise indicator definitions and metadata where possible;
• Agree on common metadata standards and develop metadata mapping and
interoperability; and
• Evaluate the options for producing and/or adopting a common standard
population and improving clarity on which population structure is being used.
Capacity building
• Improve the capability of Member States to use high quality harmonised and
interoperable health information and collaborate in capacity building events.5
Joint Commitments