Strengthening health information infrastructure matters

Abstract

Health data constitutes a significant resource in most OECD countries that could be used to improve population health, the quality of health care and the performance of health systems. Well-intended policies to allay concerns about breaches of confidentiality and potential misuse of personal health data may be limiting data use. In 2010, Health Ministers called for OECD support to strengthen health information infrastructure.In 2011/12, 19 countries participated in an OECD study to better understand the extent to which countries develop and use personal health data and the reasons why data use may be problematic in some. In 2011/12, 25 countries participated in a related OECD study to describe the development and use of personal health data from electronic health record systems, including barriers and facilitators. This chapter describes why the privacy respectful use of personal health data is so important to strengthen information infrastructure for monitoring and research to improve health, health care quality and health system performance. It provides an overview of the issues to be examined in the next chapters of this report, as well as background information about how the studies were conducted.