1. Key steps for a sustainable European HES system
Kari Kuulasmaa
Luxembourg
9-11 April 2008

2. Vision
Data from standardized HES will be available from all European countries for the planning and evaluation of health policies and health care

3. Feasibility of national HESs
Feasible in nearly all countries
Scope may vary
Most countries have the local expertise
Motivation for a HES is high

4. Key prerequisites Sufficient funding
Internationally organized standardization and advice in planning the HES

5. Importance of

6. National responsibilities in the “European HES”
Planning and conducting the HES at national level
Increases local motivation
Best knowledge of national infrastructure and habits, attitudes and needs of health information
Training of national experts
Also for proper analysis and interpretation

7. International “centre” needed for
Creating, maintaining and disseminating the European standards
Organizing training
Coordinating quality control
Evaluating the success of the standardization in each survey
Providing advice to the countries in planning a national HES
Coordinating a network of the organizers of national surveys

8. …and for
Managing the sharing of the data for quality control and joint analysis
Undertaking rapid basic reporting and interpretation of the results for international reporting
in collaboration with the countries
Managing the sharing of the data with research groups for more in-depth analyses

9. Proposal for creating the “centre”
As a consortium between a number of national public heath and other institutes
They already have the necessary expertise and can start immediately
This allows time for the establishment of more permanent structures

10. Conclusion
There is a unique opportunity to standardize a large number of European HES & lay foundations for a European HES
If this opportunity is missed the standardization of the national HESs is likely to be more difficult