Pre-conference: Unlocking international health insights: discoveries from The Commonwealth Fund Surveys

Tuesday 12 November, 9:00 – 12:30 Lisbon time (followed by network lunch)

Organised by

The Commonwealth Fund

Background

The Commonwealth Fund International Surveys collect health care experiences from people in ten high-income countries. These surveys drive policy changes by enabling policymakers to compare health systems across these nations. The Commonwealth Fund has conducted its International Health Policy Survey (IHP) for over two decades. The survey targets populations triennially (adult population, older adults (age 65+), and primary care physicians in 10 high-income countries. Our partners include national, regional governments and research organizations. Participating countries include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States.

The International Health Policy Survey is a unique contribution to the field of health policy as it is the only cross-country and intercontinental survey which aims to understand and compare the healthcare experiences and attitudes of both physicians and patients to spur change to a country’s health care system. Priority topic areas include access to care, financial barriers to care, use of telehealth/digital health, mental health, and discrimination in the health care system. In addition, priority areas in Primary Care Physician survey have include physician stress and burnout and care coordination, and for the Older Adults survey, questions include a focus on caregiving and end-of-life care.

Each year, survey country partners collaborate to discuss changes to the upcoming survey. They address priority areas that may no longer as relevant or timely (like COVID testing and vaccinations) and identify new priority areas to explore (like artificial intelligence and climate change). We deploy innovative survey research methods to achieve reportable sample sizes in all countries to ensure robust data collection. This collaborative approach ensures that the IHP Survey remains a timely and policy-relevant resource for examining health system performance across countries.

The survey findings enable policymakers, researchers, and journalists around the world to compare the health care perspectives of physicians and patients, understand hindrances to care delivery, and explore lessons learned on reducing and/or eliminating health inequities. The survey continues to inform debate about the future of general practice and the health service industry itself and has been cited in countless news outlets, government briefings and testimonies.

This pre-conference workshop will showcase the opportunities, challenges, and impact of cross-country collaboration to produce high-quality survey research. It will include up to 5 presentations from the IHP survey country partners who will discuss:

• survey results from the latest survey year (2022 IHP Primary Care Physician Survey, 2023 IHP Survey of the General Population, 2024 IHP Survey of Older Adults);
• the impact the IHP survey data has had on their own country’s health policy in order to create real change;
• challenges and barriers in conducting cross-country survey research and resolutions to overcoming the barriers

The Commonwealth Fund

The Commonwealth Fund International Surveys collect health care experiences from people in 10 high-income countries. These surveys drive policy changes by enabling policymakers to compare health systems across these nations.

Programme

Registration

The pre-conference is financially supported and the registration fee is only EUR 20. Networking lunch and refreshments are included.