The international review was conducted as part of the HealthData@IE project led by the Department of Health in collaboration with HIQA, the Health Research Board (HRB), key stakeholders in the Health Service Executive and across the health system. Within the HealthData@IE project, one of the areas HIQA is responsible for is developing a national interoperability framework. An interoperability framework can be described as a set of standards, policies, and guidelines that ensure that information and communication technology (ICT) systems can communicate and share data seamlessly and securely. In healthcare, interoperability is particularly crucial and the lack of it can practically mean that healthcare professionals often do not have live access to all the key information needed when seeing a patient. At a national or strategic level, a lack of interoperability in healthcare can inhibit health policy development due to the necessary information to make informed national policy decisions not being available.

The findings of the international review will inform the development of a national interoperability framework and will support organisations who hold health data in Ireland to make this data more reusable. The national interoperability framework will assist organisations in meeting their obligations relating to the secondary use of health data as part of the European Health Data Space Regulation through the development of a national interoperability framework for health data exchange with the Health Data Access Bodies (HDABs).