On this World Health Day, as we focus on ‘Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures,’ the critical role of robust health research in achieving this vision becomes ever more apparent. At the recent Health Data Summit 2025 in Brussels, Belgium, the focus was on strategic data quality management – the very foundation for using data to improve healthcare and produce impactful research.
The summit underscored a fundamental truth: the integrity of health research hinges on the quality of its data. Indeed, inaccurate or incomplete datasets can lead to biased AI models, flawed conclusions, and misdirected interventions. This hinders our ability to improve healthcare, including maternal and newborn outcomes. One prominent session highlighted ways to mitigate AI bias in health data. Key approaches included using cleaner data, improving integration and interoperability, and shifting how health research data is shared.
Discussions at the summit centered on key themes vital to health research: data standardization and secondary data use. Secondary data, in this context, is research data that was originally collected for another purpose, such as healthcare services. The need for harmonized datasets, federated systems, and mindset shifts around data and data management processes were recurring topics. Privacy considerations in data sharing, along with the generation and use of synthetic data, also received significant attention. Ultimately, the impact of health data truly depends on its quality, accessibility, and trustworthiness.
Challenges remain, particularly in the context of global health research. Significant hurdles include several key issues. Data is often fragmented across diverse healthcare systems. Outdated regulations and policies persist in certain regions. Additionally, the complexities of data privacy create significant barriers. However, the summit also showcased the transformative potential of collaborative initiatives, open science, and innovative data management projects. By addressing these challenges, we can unlock the potential of health research to drive positive change.
Reflecting on World Health Day, perhaps the most crucial takeaway from the summit involves a shift in perspective: treating data less as a byproduct and more as a core product requiring dedicated management and quality focus. This approach holds the potential to better empower researchers, enabling them to generate the evidence-based solutions needed for ‘Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures’ for all.