Sharing public health data and information across borders: lessons from Southeast Asia
Based on:
Journal Article (2018)
This paper examines technical and policy challenges to the sharing of public health data and information across borders, presenting findings from interviews with stakeholders in Cambodia and Vietnam.
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Research collaborators:
Content
It is well recognised that sharing public health data within and across countries is crucial to the prevention and control of infectious diseases, particularly in regions where frequent movements of people or animal carriers facilitate disease emergence and transmission. However, international health cooperation is notoriously difficult to achieve due to the divisive force of state politics and interests, gaps in domestic capacities, and weaknesses in institutional frameworks to support collective action.
This study provides a systematic assessment of these issues “in vivo” from the perspective of health authorities and practitioners in Cambodia and Vietnam as well as policy recommendations. As such, it can be relevant to stakeholders in Southeast Asia as well as in other parts of the world where efforts to strengthen regional health cooperation are being made, including Africa and Latin America.
Key findings
Shared data from different countries can be used only to a limited extent to draw a regional map of disease burden, given gaps in national information systems and imbalances in their ability to provide an estimate of the true disease incidence.
Perceptions about the reliability of the information source can affect the credibility of international communications about public health emergencies.
Different levels of technical proficiency and ownership of data and data collection systems impact on the ability of country partners to share data and speak confidently at international meetings.
Gaps in capacities to finance bilateral cooperation result in imbalances in decision-making power, including the power to set the agenda of international health meetings.
Local rules and arrangements shape the ability of local stakeholders to share public health data in variable ways, resulting in potential asymmetries in data exchange between partners even when informal agreements exist to promote international cooperation.
Proposed action
This study highlights the complex socio-technical nature of data and information sharing, suggesting that best practices require significant involvement of an independent third-party brokering organisation or office, which can redress imbalances between country partners at different levels in the data sharing process, create meaningful communication channels and make the most of shared information and data sets
In Southeast Asia, past experiences in regional cooperation illustrate significant involvement of third-party brokers in public health programmes, including coordinating offices of disease surveillance networks, the WHO, and regional organisations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
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Acknowledgements
Thank you to ASEAN
These insights were made available thanks to the support of ASEAN, who are committed to the dissemination of knowledge for all.
Special thanks to Antoine Germain for preparation assistance
We would like to extend a special thank you to Antoine Germain, for their invaluable contribution in assisting the preparation of this research summary.
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Sharing public health data and information across borders: lessons from Southeast Asia
Cite this brief: Liverani, Marco. 'Sharing public health data and information across borders: lessons from Southeast Asia'. Acume. https://www.acume.org/r/sharing-public-health-data-and-information-across-borders-lessons-from-southeast-asia/
Brief created by: Dr Marco Liverani | Year brief made: 2022
Original research:
- S. T., Liverani, M., & et al., ‘Sharing public health data and information across borders: lessons from Southeast Asia’ 14 (94) (pp. 1–12) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-018-0415-0. – https://globalizationandhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12992-018-0415-0
Research brief:
This paper examines technical and policy challenges to the sharing of public health data and information across borders, presenting findings from interviews with stakeholders in Cambodia and Vietnam.
It is well recognised that sharing public health data within and across countries is crucial to the prevention and control of infectious diseases, particularly in regions where frequent movements of people or animal carriers facilitate disease emergence and transmission. However, international health cooperation is notoriously difficult to achieve due to the divisive force of state politics and interests, gaps in domestic capacities, and weaknesses in institutional frameworks to support collective action.
This study provides a systematic assessment of these issues “in vivo” from the perspective of health authorities and practitioners in Cambodia and Vietnam as well as policy recommendations. As such, it can be relevant to stakeholders in Southeast Asia as well as in other parts of the world where efforts to strengthen regional health cooperation are being made, including Africa and Latin America.
Findings:
Shared data from different countries can be used only to a limited extent to draw a regional map of disease burden, given gaps in national information systems and imbalances in their ability to provide an estimate of the true disease incidence.
Perceptions about the reliability of the information source can affect the credibility of international communications about public health emergencies.
Different levels of technical proficiency and ownership of data and data collection systems impact on the ability of country partners to share data and speak confidently at international meetings.
Gaps in capacities to finance bilateral cooperation result in imbalances in decision-making power, including the power to set the agenda of international health meetings.
Local rules and arrangements shape the ability of local stakeholders to share public health data in variable ways, resulting in potential asymmetries in data exchange between partners even when informal agreements exist to promote international cooperation.
Advice:
This study highlights the complex socio-technical nature of data and information sharing, suggesting that best practices require significant involvement of an independent third-party brokering organisation or office, which can redress imbalances between country partners at different levels in the data sharing process, create meaningful communication channels and make the most of shared information and data sets
In Southeast Asia, past experiences in regional cooperation illustrate significant involvement of third-party brokers in public health programmes, including coordinating offices of disease surveillance networks, the WHO, and regional organisations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
- Today, ASEAN is in a good position to play a more proactive role in regional health cooperation and should be further supported to act as a data sharing broker and a catalyst for all stakeholders involved.