The 1st European Course on Health Information is already taking place, coordinated by Universidade Nova de Lisboa and the Ministry of Health.
The initiative started on the 1st of October and involves several European Public Health Institutes. The main objective of this first training school, designed under the InfAct, the Joint Action on Health Information, is to contribute to increasing knowledge on availability and use of standardized Health Information methods to common practices in EU member states, moreover in time of COVID-19 pandemics. The course selected 25 Participants from 20 countries and two island regions (Madeira and Canarias).
Experts from Italy, Netherlands, UK, Belgium, Portugal, Finland, Croatia, Spain, and Ireland under the coordination of Universidade Nova de Lisboa/Ministry of Health of Portugal and the National Institute of Public Health of Finland, are contributing to this innovative course on health information, focusing on a European approach.
Health Information is very important for European Union strategic development. Health Information is a comprehensive area, in rapid evolution, including new data collection and data analysis methods, information management tools and translational research for developing new European-wide policies. This course came at the right time to help training the next generations of public health experts, so that Europe will cope better in the case of a new pandemic. Specially, when the health information capacities vary across EU member states and the need to reinforce common practices and methods to improve the collection, management and use of health information is recognized.