About
The National Integrated Health Services Information (NIHSI) has transitioned to the National Health Data Hub (NHDH).
The NHDH is a major national de-identified linked data system that draws together core government administrative health and aged care datasets. No other collection routinely brings together the core data that the NHDH does or delivers such a vast range of insights for health and aged care policy and research. The NHDH is now an integral data resource in the Australian health data landscape and contributes widely to an array of government programs.
The NHDH can be used to support policy development, service delivery and community benefits. Examples include:
Policy development
Helping to inform strategies and best practices to improve post-hospitalisation medication use for patients.
Aiding policymakers and health practitioners understanding of patterns and cost of health service use.
Enhancing the understanding of the hospital interaction profile for those who have experienced particular events, and those who are at risk of further hospital stays.
Demonstrating the feasibility of predicting early diagnosis of health conditions.
Service delivery
Understanding the transition from hospital into the community, and use of recommended medications.
Informing potential service intervention opportunities through examining service use by persons with particular conditions or who have experienced certain events (e.g. injuries).
Assisting in the promotion and delivery of appropriate servicesfor each stage of care through the analysis of GP and specialist services used by people with particular conditions, as well as use of specific services over time.
Community benefits
Identifying subgroups of the population who are not initiating or continuing to take recommended medications following a hospital visit. Providing additional support to these groups may improve patterns of medication use in the population and reduce the risk of secondary health events.
Bringing together different sources of data to address gaps in our understanding of the impacts of population growth, ageing, and increased longevity – all of which have an impact on health service use, thereby helping in community planning.
Using linked data to provide better evidence to support policies and services aimed at improving outcomes for people living with certain conditions, and their carers.
What the linked data asset can be used for
The NHDH may be used to undertake analyses for health statistical and research purposes. This includes:
Health research and statistical analyses to inform government health service planning, monitoring and evaluation, and health policy development, including official statistics, related insights and reporting.
Health research and statistical analyses that answers non-government questions about population health and health outcomes – in some instances, jurisdictions may require a Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) approval.
Population health outcome monitoring to inform clinical practice review and service delivery for the purposes of ensuring safety and quality of care.
Performance and health outcomes reporting at a national level.
Data design and development of performance and productivity measures – subject to agreement before commencement of project. Please note, ongoing official reporting of such measures using the NHDH may not be permitted.
The NHDH can be used to inform topics such as:
health analysis for cohorts and sub-populations (where approved)
usage patterns, efficiency and effectiveness of health and residential aged care services, including interactions with wellbeing characteristics
health risks for populations and particular patient cohorts
accessibility and effectiveness of services in the management of chronic conditions
health system costs associated with procedures, diagnosis, and health events
treatment pathways for chronic disease management and care
patient/client journeys in the health and residential aged care systems
policies and programs designed to reduce the incidence and severity of disease and injury.
What the linked data asset cannot be used for
The NHDH cannot be used for purposes not covered under the agreed arrangements for the establishment of the NHDH. The NHDH cannot be used:
for purposes not described in the section 'What can the NHDH be used for?'
to identify and report on any individual
to identify and report on any service provider or clinical practice, unless approval has been granted from data custodians
to identify and report on individual diagnosis of a medical condition(s)
for commercial gain, commercial interest and profit
to author data insights, findings, and reports at an individual level, such as reporting based on the Project-specific Person Numbers (PPNs) or other such row level identifiers
for administrative and/or compliance purposes, such as investigating and reporting the misuse of health services, health equipment, medical devices, medications dispensed, or biologicals (such as vaccines)
to report on the performance of individuals, clinical practices, or service providers.
The NHDH also cannot be used for official performance monitoring or reporting below the national level – including measures from the Australian Health Performance Framework (AHPF), Indigenous Health Performance Framework (IHPF), Report on Government Services (RoGs), or National Health Agreement (NHA) – unless approval has been granted from data custodians. Examples include:
reporting on the performance of health-care and the Australian health system based on performance frameworks at the state and territory level or sub-levels
investigating key system performance indicators, such as wait times, at the state and territory level or sub-levels.
There may be purposes the NHDH cannot be used for other than those listed above. Please contact the AIHW at [email protected] if you would like to discuss the specifics of your project.
Analyst responsibilities when using the NHDH
Analysts must not attempt to link other collections or any other available unit record dataset to the NHDH without prior approval.
Analysts must not attempt to identify any individual within the NHDH. An analyst using the NHDH is not to make a copy of data from the host environment, neither digital nor handwritten, e.g. by a screenshot, screen share or other digital image, or writing down results etc. Such attempts to do so may result in de-activation of access to the NHDH.
Community benefits
The NHDH facilitates data-driven and evidence-based policy and decision making, enabling a more comprehensive analysis of the community’s health needs. The NHDH unlocks valuable insights for researchers, leading to advancements in medical research and innovation, as well as targeted public health interventions and resource allocations and enhanced understanding of health trends.
Building community trust
The NHDH endeavours to build and maintain community trust relating to access and use of person-centric health data. This will be achieved through a range of approaches based on principles relating to transparency, privacy protection, community engagement and accountability.