Health Data: Learning from Our Neighbours

The access and use of administrative health data in Germany is limited by several factors. Due to the large number and heterogeneity of data holders, data are usually only available in fragmented form, and access is often regulated in a non-transparent manner. Linkage of health data with other data sources is hardly possible for legal and logistic reasons. These limitations directly affect the ability of researchers in Germany to supply evidence-based policy advice and to conduct fundamental research. Against the backdrop of neighbouring countries, such as Denmark or Austria, giving access to and allowing the linkage of individual administrative data, we propose several measures to improve access to health data in Germany.