Improving the performance of national health information systems : the 2002-2003 reform in Finland from an international perspective / by Mika Gissler, Anca Dumitrescu and Véronique Addor
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Abstract
Systematic reviews of national health information systems (NHIS) should be conducted at regular intervals to respond to the rapidly-evolving needs of contemporary public health. Countries struggle with similar questions, but such reviews are rarely undertaken with a pre-defined methodology, and never described in the scientific literature. The reform of the NHIS in Finland is analysed here from an international perspective. The study was based on a review of published and unpublished material on the Finnish NHIS reforms and on discussions with the main actors of the most recent NHIS reform. A large working party was organised under the leadership of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in 2002-2003, including over 150 participants from all relevant authorities and institutions, as well as data management experts. Assisted by four topic-specific subgroups, a steering committee mapped existing data sources and assessed duplications, best methods of collection, use of data, and relevance to current needs. The strengths of this process were the impetus for different actors to work together, the simultaneous review of health and welfare information systems, and the coverage of regular surveys as well as register and statistics. Drawbacks in the project were the limited resources allocated to the project, the lack of a common conceptual vision of health and welfare, the conflicting driving forces (promotion of particular institutions vs. national interests), and insufficient planning of the implementation. Allocating resources to increase the effectiveness of the NHIS may liberate public funding for health interventions, both by reducing operating costs and by providing more effective tools for decision-making in health policy
Citation
Gissler, Mika, Dumitrescu, Anca, Addor, Véronique & World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe (2006). Improving the performance of national health information systems : the 2002-2003 reform in Finland from an international perspective / by Mika Gissler, Anca Dumitrescu and Véronique Addor. Copenhagen : WHO Regional Office for Europe. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/107685
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EUR/04/5046412
14 p.
14 p.
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EUR/04/5046412
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English