Assessment of the health information system in Hungary / by Marta Bakacs, Csilla Kaposvari, Benigna Kiss, Jozsef Vitrai and Janos Vizi

ABSTRACT

This assessment of the National Health Information System (NHIS) in Hungary was conducted as part of a project of the WHO Regional Office for Europe. Its goal is to enable a better use of information in decision-making, while taking into account the other factors influencing decisions. The methodology was developed in Romania in June 2003, and then tested in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary and Poland in 2004. This report is the result of the Hungarian experience. Semi-structured interviews of high-level key-informants, both decision-makers and professionals working in the field of health information, were performed by a Hungarian team, with the support of WHO. The project methodology is based on building capacities in the country. It aims at identifying gaps and unmet needs in all components of the Health Information System (HIS), both at national and district levels. It will serve as a basis for reviewing and strengthening the HIS; as a result, the HIS could be a better instrument for good governance, responsive to the needs of modern Public Health as expressed by different target audiences and users