Comparison of health information systems capacity among China and Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries based on the World Health Organization SCORE assessment tool.

BACKGROUND

This study examines the current state of health information system (HIS) capacity in China and 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, identifying successful practices and challenges to inform policy recommendations and support health information cooperation between China and ASEAN.

METHODS

The HIS capacity between China and ASEAN countries was summarised and compared through a descriptive analysis using the World Health Organization (WHO) Survey, Count, Optimize, Review and Enable (SCORE) technique package. We analysed the universal health coverage (UHC) index, health-related Sustainable Development Goals data availability, and five essential interventions for correlation using Spearman's correlation coefficient. We obtained the data from the WHO SCORE database and WHO Global Health Observatory.

RESULTS

All countries achieved comprehensive and sustainable levels in data accessibility, indicating well-established data for health-related Sustainable Development Goals and UHC indicators. However, fewer than half of the countries achieved comprehensive or sustainable levels in Count, Optimize, and Enable dimensions. China and Malaysia scored highest across all five dimensions, with China reaching sustainable levels in Optimize and Review, and Malaysia achieving similar in Review. Singapore and Laos exhibited lower scores in Enable and Count, respectively. No country reached sustainable levels across all dimensions, highlighting areas for improvement in HIS capacity across the region. The Count dimension showed a significant positive correlation with the UHC Index.

CONCLUSIONS

HIS capacities in Count, Optimize, and Enable are weak across China and ASEAN, suggesting the need for targeted efforts to improve health data collection, analysis, and policy application. Strengthening the link between HIS and national health planning is crucial for advancing HIS development. There is also a need to actively improve the cooperation and sharing mechanisms for health information, and promote the exploration of establishing cooperation agreements and memorandums between China and ASEAN countries to enhance the availability, reliability, and wide dissemination of shared data.