EUPHIX meetings : 1st Full project meeting 9-10 June 2005, Utrecht

Attendance

The meeting was attended by: Mr Arpo Aromaa and Ms Katri Hakulinen (Finland), Mr Andreas Birner (Austria), Mr Matthias Bokel and Mr Jürgen Thelen, (Germany), Mr Oyvind Hesselberg (Norway), Mr Finn Kamper-Jørgensen (Denmark), Ms Csilla Kaposvári (Hungary), Mr Bernard Ledésert (France), Ms Ellen Nolte (UK), Mr Måns Rosén (Sweden), Mr Peter Achterberg, Ms Sanja Kaiser, Mr Pieter Kramers, Mr Rutger Nugteren, Ms Sabine Silva, Ms Nicoline Tamsma and Ms Eveline van der Wilk (the Netherlands). Apologies were received from Ms Zinta Podniece (Commission), Mr Remigijus Prochorskas (WHO-Europe), Mr Andrea Arcelli (HIM), and Mr Herman van Oyen (Belgium).

Main conclusions

Overall, project partners agree on the broad aims and objectives of the project.
There is a need for a more concrete work plan, including time frame.
Content development and the setting up of pilots have to be prioritised.
IT aspects of the application can be derived mostly from the Dutch Kompas application.
It is important to address health policy, but the issue will need further elaboration.
The role of the project partners has to be further defined.
Strategy and procedures for involving external experts as authors or reviewers, or as a user’s panel, need to be developed.
RIVM will prepare a working pilot application to be demonstrated and discussed at the next meeting.

Further statements and agreement

The core business of EUPHIX is adding intelligent and objective interpretation to the adequate presentation of reliable data.
EUPHIX should learn from current national or regional web-based health reporting initiatives.
EUPHIX should use the ECHI structure as a model, but evolve and elaborate beyond that.
Setting up EUPHIX will be a challenge, maintaining and updating it even more so. This needs attention throughout the development of the project.
There is a need for an overview of the organisation of public health and of the public health policies in the Member States in a descriptive manner.
The relationship between EUPHIX and other health information systems, both national and international, has to be addressed more clearly.
The EUPHIX project brings together partners from ten EU member states and Norway. Yet, EUPHIX will need to incorporate information about all EU member states.
Health care should not be given too much attention.
Offering information in solely English language may limit the accesibility of EUPHIX.

The content should reflect a ‘salutogenic’ point of view, as opposed to the often illness-oriented health statistics.
In the first phase, pilots on two or three themes will be developed. Suggestions included: tobacco/smoking, injuries, obesity, cancer, mental health and health inequalities.
Criteria to be used for such choices were discussed and include: policy relevance, availability of evidence based data, including those on successful interventions.
Information about the EUPHIX project will also be presented via a ‘work in progress’ website.
A target group panel could serve two purposes: their input can help improve EUPHIX’ quality and policy relevance; and the members of the panel could promote the project’s sustainability and relevance across various user groups and countries.
The next Full Project Meeting is planned for February 2-3 2006 in the Netherlands.