Collection and integration of data on refugee and migrant health in the WHO European Region - Technical guidance

This technical guidance outlines current evidence, knowledge and best practice relating to the integration of migration health data into national health information systems. It highlights key principles, summarizes priority actions and challenges, maps existing international commitments and frameworks and provides practical policy considerations for promoting collection and integration of migration health data. Specific areas for intervention include establishing a multi-stakeholder working group for overseeing data collection and integration, creating a regulatory framework for preventing unauthorized access and use of health data for non-health purposes, integrating core variables into the data collection system and promoting data linkage. While the main intended audience of this technical guidance series is policy-makers across sectors at local, national and regional levels, the contents of this publication will also be of value for health-care practitioners, health planners and health information specialists and law enforcement officials.

The guidance, published by the WHO Regional Office for Europe in the framework of the Migration and Health programme was written by a team of authors led by Soorej Jose Puthoopparambil (Uppsala University), Laran Matta and Eman Ali (Uppsala University). Other contributors included Jeanine Suurmond (Amsterdam University Medical Centres), Antonio Chiarenza and Valentina Chiesa (Local Health Authority of Reggio Emilia) and Gianfranco Costanzo (Italian National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty).

In the publication, the SAVe software developed by the Italian National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty in 2019, is highlighted as a best practice of interoperable Health Information System (HIS) for migrants and refugees that allows workers in the national health system, including health workers working in the reception system, to manage the health of migrants, including those with an irregular status who are not registered. SAVe can operate with the National Electronic Health File, where all Italian citizens are registered, the technical analysis to ease this integration is currently ongoing.

Download

Collection and integration of data on refugee and migrant health in the WHO European Region (English)