title: An integrated and sustainable EU health information system: national public health institutes' needs and possible benefits.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although sound data and health information are at the basis of evidence-based policy-making and research, still no single, integrated and sustainable EU-wide public health monitoring system or health information system exists.
  
  
  METHODS
  BRIDGE Health is working towards an EU health information and data generation network covering major EU health policy areas. A stakeholder consultation with national public health institutes was organised to identify the needs to strengthen the current EU health information system and to identify its possible benefits. Five key issues for improvement were identified: (1) coherence, coordination and sustainability; (2) data harmonization, collection, processing and reporting; (3) comparison and benchmarking; (4) knowledge sharing and capacity building; and (5) transferability of health information into evidence-based policy making. The vision of an improved EU health information system was formulated and the possible benefits in relation to six target groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Through this consultation, BRIDGE Health has identified the continuous need to strengthen the EU health information system. A better system is about sustainability, better coordination, governance and collaboration among national health information systems and stakeholders to jointly improve, harmonise, standardise and analyse health information. More and better sharing of this comparable health data allows for more and better comparative health research, international benchmarking, national and EU-wide public health monitoring. This should be developed with the view to provide the tools to fight both common and individual challenges faced by the Members States and their politicians.
authors.affiliation: Departement of Public Health and Surveillance, Scientific Institute of Public Health, Rue Juliette Wytsmanstraat 14, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Petronille
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6983-9571
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bogaert
authors.affiliation: Departement of Public Health and Surveillance, Scientific Institute of Public Health, Rue Juliette Wytsmanstraat 14, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Herman
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Van Oyen
keywords: BRIDGE Health; European Union; Health information; Health information system; Health monitoring; Health policy; National public health institutes; Stakeholder consultation