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What is the EUD?

The European Union Database (EUD) is derived from data collected and published by Statistical Office of the European Communities (EUROSTAT).   Total number of admissions are reported for disease areas, and are described by ICD-10 codes.  ICD-9 to ICD-10 conversion tools can be accessed here.

Discharges by diagnosis refer to the principal diagnosis, i.e. the main condition diagnosed at the end of the hospitalisation. The main condition is the one primarily responsible for the patient's need for treatment or investigation.

Countries submit data to Eurostat on the basis of a "gentlemen's agreement" established in the framework of the Eurostat Working Group on "Public Health Statistics."  Data collection takes place in agreement with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).  Where applicable, common definitions and data specifications are used in the data collection.

The quality of the data is subject to the way in which health care provision is organized in countries, and which information is available to and collected by the respective institutions.  Some countries are unable to cover all providers of care (the inclusion of private providers seems particularly difficult) or are only able to provide data for selective regions.  Therefore, the data reflect the country-specific way of organising health care and may not always be completely comparable.

Ongoing work to increase quality, comparability and coverage is reported to Eurostat's Working Group "Public Health Statistics."

Source: Statistical Office of the European Communities (EUROSTAT)