Emilia Romagna Economy Observatory

Healthcare

Emilia-Romagna strengthens health prevention policies with the Health Profile

It is an advanced system for collecting, managing and analysing health data that can be consulted online free of charge and with a high degree of detail on the territories of the Region

by Giorgia Colucci

10 October 2025

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - How is the population of Emilia-Romagna? What are the most widespread chronic, infectious and degenerative diseases and what are the rates and causes of mortality? To answer all these questions in a numerically precise manner, the Health Profile has been created, designed by the Department of Health Policies, in particular the Collective Prevention and Public Health sector, to support the planning of prevention interventions. In detail, it is an advanced system for the collection, management and analysis of health data that can be consulted online free of charge not only by institutions, researchers, professionals and health authorities, and therefore by insiders, but by citizens themselves. By accessing the database, online as of today on the Region's portal at the dedicated link, in fact, it is possible to analyse all the open data collected and carry out various types of research and verify the social, demographic and economic context of the territories that make up the Region. Emilia-Romagna is the second Italian Region after Lazio to equip itself with this tool.

Planning targeted actions and informing citizens

"Thanks to this tool, which I would describe as extraordinarily important, useful and transparent, we can tackle health challenges in an even more targeted and effective manner, thinking about the programming of diversified interventions on the basis of the different realities photographed, for example the age of the population, with such a quantity and specificity of open data available and easily consultable, health authorities can plan targeted actions at provincial and district level, ensuring a timely response to local needs. For the Region, it is also a tool to monitor and understand if what we are doing in the health sector in a territory is going well or can be improved with specific and localised actions".

"We are certain," adds the councillor, "that the online Health Profile of Emilia-Romagna, which we will gradually enhance with additional sections and data, can become a reference platform for professionals and a means of involving the community: the availability of open data allows citizens to be better informed on regional health policies and to actively participate in prevention interventions. We are taking a further step forward in terms of transparency in decision-making processes and accountability, because access to data encourages public scrutiny and contributes to strengthening the sustainability of the health system, with even more targeted and evidence-based preventive policies".

More accessible and up-to-date data

The Health Profile was born from the evolution of a project already in place in Emilia-Romagna, the collection in a volume of data on the health status of the population, used for the drafting of theRegional Prevention Plan every four years. The information from the Regional Health Information System - which collects data from various sources, including hospitals, local health facilities and other health monitoring platforms - can now be consulted online and updated more frequently, approximately once a year. In addition, they are organised in an accessible format, which makes it possible to view the data not only on a regional level, but also with a high degree of detail at provincial, district and for some municipal areas.

In order to promote the knowledge and use of this tool, the Department of Health Policies organised 3 training webinars: the first, on 14 October, dedicated to local authorities; the second on 15 October, reserved for health authorities, and the third, in collaboration with the Regional Order of Journalists, on 21 November (it will be made available on the platform in the next few days), to explain in detail the practical possibilities of using the Profile.

How the Online Health Profile works

Among the sections of the Health Profile that are already active is the one on the socio-demographic context, to facilitate the correct segmentation of preventive policies on the basis of the characteristics of the population; the one on chronic diseases, with data available by year, Ausl, Province and health district, by sex and age group, crucial for identifying population groups at risk and planning preventive and targeted interventions; and finally that on mortality, with the possibility of searching for the main indicators and causes over time at a regional, provincial and municipal level, stratified by age and sex; interactive maps to compare mortality trends across the territory.

These thematic areas will be joined by three others, currently being developed: vaccinations, to observe the adherence to vaccination plans at provincial and regional level; infectious diseases, with monitoring of the incidence for each province and district; lifestyles, to collect information on the population such as diet, physical activity, smoking, alcohol, environmental and social risk factors that influence health. It is also possible to carry out research with a high degree of geographical detail or by groups (e.g. age, gender) and to verify the temporal evolution of phenomena, identifying variations with respect to the past and analysing the causes.

From transparency to better use of resources

The advantages of the Health Plan are several. The availability of detailed and disaggregated data at provincial and district level makes it possible to develop customised prevention interventions, responding effectively to the specific needs of the different areas. Updating the data at regular intervals makes it possible to monitor the progress of prevention initiatives in real time and to promptly adapt intervention strategies, optimising the allocation of resources (such as funds, health personnel and facilities) to the areas with the greatest need.

Furthermore, with the Health Profile it is possible to analyse health trends in detail, such as the prevalence of chronic diseases, vaccination rates and risk behaviour (e.g. smoking, alcoholism), in order to develop evidence-based and data-driven prevention policies. Open health data promotes transparency in decision-making processes and the accountability of health institutions, as citizens and researchers can access and analyse health and prevention data, improving public scrutiny and trust in health policies. It also allows citizens to be better informed about regional health policies and to actively participate in prevention interventions.