INDICATORS

NORWAY
Data availability by Country Report: 72% of ECHI shortlist indicators are available
in international data sources. The ECHI shortlist sections for which there are some data
missing are Health Services and Health Determinants.
Data availability by ECHIM Survey: 90% of ECHIM Survey indicators are available
at the national level.
Data availability in European context: ECHIM Survey reveals there are more data
existing than are available in international data sources. The difference can partly be
explained by the fact that some indicator data that exist based on ECHIM Survey results
do not necessarily meet the definitions of the international data sources.
Overall situation of data sources: Norway has a highly developed system of
complementary instruments for public health monitoring. Several registers are operating
(e.g. cancer, injuries) and a national patient register was established in 2007. HIS are
regularly conducted by Statistics Norway (www.ssb.no) within a general survey on
living conditions. While a nationally representative HES has not yet been performed,
measured data from examinations are available from a large cohort. A HES using EHES
methods is planned to start in 2012.
Health reporting: The Norwegian Institute for Public Health (NIPH, www.fhi.no)
is responsible for public health monitoring and reporting. Moreover the institute
maintains an online interactive database with selected statistics about health, disease
and risk factors in the Norwegian population (www.norgeshelsa.no/norgeshelsaen).
Public Health and topic specific reports are available online. Statistics Norway annually
publishes a statistical yearbook where health data are also reported.
Main problems: Norwegian health monitoring is based on an established set of
instruments and measures. The integration of the EHIS instrument would lead to a
break in the existing time series which would pose a problem for the analysis of national
time trends. Norway is planning for a gradual implementation of parts of EHIS in the
national Survey on Level of Living concerning health, care and social contact (Statistics
Norway). In a national perspective it is important to keep established time series in
the official health statistics. Apart from leading to a break in existing time series, there
are also challenges in making valid translations of EHIS questions into Norwegian.
Translations of EHIS modules are currently being tested as part of a Eurostat project.
Ongoing and/or expected improvements: Possibilities to link records are already
good in Norway, but will improve further when hospital and health care data from
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