European researchers launch new standard for unified health data

Researchers have established a new international standard to unify health data across Europe through the COST Action European Burden of Disease Network (Burden-EU). This initiative brought together nearly 500 researchers from more than 60 countries to create a shared framework for studying the burden of disease.

A primary outcome of this collaboration is the STROBOD statement, which provides the first standard protocol for reporting Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY) calculations. DALYs are a metric used by scientists to combine years of life lost to premature death with years lived with illness, allowing governments to compare the impact of various health risks, such as air pollution, smoking, or diabetes.

Prof. Brecht Devleesschauwer of Sciensano noted that the STROBOD statement will increase consistency and transparency in research, making results more comparable and easier for policymakers to use. The statement is also intended to serve as an educational tool for students and researchers to better understand the assumptions required when calculating health metrics.