WHO issues updated guidance for strengthening health information systems

WHO/Europe has updated its guidance for assessing and strengthening health information systems. The latest version of the support tool helps countries evaluate the current state of their systems, define a strategic vision, prepare an improvement plan and monitor progress.

“In the WHO European Region, as elsewhere, the cornerstone of effective public health interventions is our ability to understand health trends, identify disparities and target resources where they are most needed,” said Dr Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, Director of WHO/Europe’s Division of Country Health Policies and Systems. 

“Robust data and health information systems are the foundation upon which countries build health strategies and policies. The updated WHO/Europe support tool is designed to help Member States reinforce their health information systems and safeguard the health of all people in our Region,” she added. 

The backbone of informed health policy-making

Health information systems can be defined as infrastructures for the monitoring of health activities, population health outcomes and policies with a significant impact on health. They encompass the people, institutions, interinstitutional relationships, legislation, values, technologies and standards that contribute to data processing. The data generated by a health information system supports evidence-informed decision-making at every level of a health system. 

In other words, health information systems are comprised of all the resources, stakeholders, activities and outputs that enable evidence-informed health policy-making.

In order to be effective, health information systems need clear and reliable data. A lack of data standardization (such as the definitions, calculations and formats of the data), delays in receiving data, lack of integration and interoperability between different data and information systems, and lack of trained people to manage and use the data are among the main reasons why countries struggled to effectively leverage health information systems in support of the COVID-19 pandemic response.

Dr David Novillo Ortiz, WHO/Europe’s Regional Adviser for Data and Digital Health, explained, “While often overlooked and under-resourced, health information systems are the backbone of countries’ ability to monitor, evaluate and respond to health challenges. Investing in their development, both financially and in terms of human resources, is not an option but a necessity. By building health information systems fit for modern challenges, countries can ensure that everyone can benefit from equitable and accessible health care.” 

A tool for strong health information systems

The 2024 version of the WHO support tool incorporates the latest insights, building on the first version published in 2015 and the second in 2021. The updates are based on around 20 health information system assessments carried out since 2015, which indicated a great need for capacity-building to support strategic development. Key challenges faced by countries include the limited use of existing health information for policy-making and poorly functioning intersectoral coordination mechanisms.

The updated support tool comes with several add-on modules that target specific parts or functions of national health information systems. They focus on emergency response information management systems, geographic information systems, long-term care and migration health data. 

The add-on modules complement the existing modules, which look at health data governance, health information for the WHO General Programme of Work and the WHO European Programme of Work, human resources for health, infectious disease surveillance, and noncommunicable diseases monitoring.

The tool comprises 2 main parts: 

• • guidance for performing an overall assessment of the full health information system and more in-depth assessment of specific functions through the add-on modules described above; and
• • guidance for the subsequent development of a strategy.