273 Mapping national data repositories in Ireland for refugee and migrant health research, policy and practice

Abstract OP 5: Health Policy 1, B308 (FCSH), September 3, 2025, 14:30 - 15:30 Background Health information systems (HIS) play an important role in providing evidence for policies and practices that address disparities and promote health. However, collection of data on refugees and migrants is often incomplete and of poor quality in European HIS. A recent scoping review identified a significant gap in research on strengthening HIS for migrant health data in Ireland, a country where one in five of the population has been born abroad. This study aims to address this gap by mapping the capacity of HIS to inform refugee and migrant health research, policy, and practice. Methods Using WHO European Region technical guidance, we mapped national repositories of routinely collected health and social care data in Ireland (including administrative sources, censuses, surveys and patient registries) for their capacity to collect and integrate refugee and migrant health data. An electronic search of a national catalogue (N = 128 repositories) identified repositories collecting core and recommended migration-related variables, such as country of birth, citizenship, and language proficiency. For relevant repositories, we extracted information on the variables collected, accessibility of data for secondary analysis, and potential for data linkage. Results Of the 128 data repositories, 28 (22%) recorded migration-related variables, including seven national surveys, seven registries, and six epidemiological databases. Most (18/28) recorded country of birth, four recorded citizenship and captured language proficiency. Of the 28 repositories, 20 included variables that could be used for data linkage and all 28 had a procedure for requesting data access. Thirty data repositories (23%) recorded ethnicity, including 14 of the 28 repositories with migration-related variables. Conclusions This mapping addresses a critical research gap, highlighting where and what migration-related variables are collected. The collection of refugee and migrant health data in Ireland’s HIS is fragmented, and initiatives for standardisation are needed to maximise data availability for policy and planning.