The IPH eLibrary aims to increase awareness and access to knowledge resources relevant to public health policy and practice.  The Library, as well as providing access to knowledge resources such as reports, websites datasets etc, also includes online tools to support the analysis and use of INIsPHO Tables and Datasets.

Many resources are grouped into “collections” to make access to them easier. These collections include INIsPHO and IPH wide resources such as e.g. the tables in the Public Health Information System (PHIS) or the datasets in the All-Ireland Health Data Inventory.

These collections provide a quick and efficient method for the retrieval of all resources from a particular project, survey or table.

The following gives an overview about current and future INIsPHO thematic collections on the IPH eLibrary.

Current INIsPHO thematic collections

All-Ireland Diabetes Population Prevalence Forecasts
All-Ireland Health Data Inventory, Part 1: Metadata for key data sources (Version 1.0)
Demographic and Social Statistics Data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) that are not included in the PHIS tables
National Cancer Registry Ireland (1994 -2002)
Northern Ireland Cancer Registry
Northern Ireland Directors of Public Health Core Tables
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)
Obesity data: Body Mass Index
Pavee Point’s Fotochat Photographic Collection
Public Health Advocacy Website Collection
Public Health Information System Version 9 (PHIS CD V9)
Smoking Prevalence data (International no smoking day May 31st)
WHO Health for all Database

• All-Ireland Diabetes Population Prevalence Forecasts
  Forecasts of the population prevalence of diabetes have been developed for 2010 and 2025 based upon possible changes in our population profile and trends in BMI distribution. Systematically developed forecasts are useful to describe changing patterns of diabetes in the population and are essential to support rational planning and development of services. The data is broken down by region and gender for the years 2010 and 2015. 

• All-Ireland Health Data Inventory, Part 1: Metadata for key data sources (Version 1.0)
  The need for reliable intelligence to support decision making has been highlighted in the key health-related documents across the island of Ireland.  Part 1 of the Health Data Inventory is not intended to be comprehensive but simply bring together the key (numerical) data sources relating to the island of Ireland.  The major reviews, in both the North and South, carried out in the last couple of years, were scanned for relevant data sources.  In addition, data sources listed in the INIsPHO (Online) Library were added.
   
• Demographic and Social Statistics Data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) that are not included in the PHIS tables
  • Demography
  • Labour Market
  • Social Inclusion
  • Vital Statistics
  • Prices & Households Surveys
  • Social Statistics
  • Integration
  • Crime
  • Regional population projections
• National Cancer Registry Ireland (1994 -2002)
  The tables are sourced from The National Cancer Registry Ireland which has been collecting comprehensive cancer information for the whole population of the Republic of Ireland since 1994. The tables provide data on cancer incidence and mortality in Ireland. The tables provide data on cancer incidence and mortality in Ireland from 1994 to 2002 and are broken down by age, gender, area and ICD-10 cancer codes.
   
• Northern Ireland Cancer Registry
  The tables are sourced from The Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, the purpose of which is to provide accurate, timely information on cancers occurring in the population of Northern Ireland for research, planning and education in order to reduce the burden of disease. The tables provide data on cancer incidence and mortality rates as well as survival rates. The data is broken down by year, age, gender, as well as ICD-10 cancer codes.
   
• Northern Ireland Directors of Public Health Core Tables
  The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) in Northern Ireland and each of the four Health and Social Services Boards annually produce an agreed on set of core tables that appear in the Chief Medical Officer’s Report on the Health of the Public in Northern Ireland and in the Annual Report of each Director of Public Health. The aims of the core tables are to enable continuous monitoring of health and population trends to be carried out for each part of Northern Ireland and to assist in the comparison of trends across Northern Ireland. The key areas covered in the core tables are population, births and fertility rates, mortality, expectancy of life, infectious disease, immunisation, congenital abnormalities, and breast and cervical screening uptake and coverage rates. The data is available up to the year 2005.  
   
• Northern Ireland Statistics and research Agency (NISRA)
  NISRA is the principal source of official information on Northern Ireland´s population and socio-economic conditions.
  • Population projections (2004-2044)
  • Mid-year population estimates (1961-2005)
     
• Obesity data: Body Mass Index
  (BMI) data from the Health Survey for England for the years 1993-2004 broken down by gender and age.
   
• Pavee Point’s Fotochat Photographic Collection
  FOTOCHAT is a series of photographs taken by Derek Speirs as part of a training and research tool developed by Pavee Point with funding from the Traveller Health Unit, HSE in the Eastern Region and the Department of Health and Children. These photographs have been developed as an online resource.

• Public Health Advocacy Website Collection
  In late 2004, the observatory agreed to develop and evaluate a web-based version of the ‘Public Health Advocacy Toolkit’ that was developed by the second year participants of the ‘Leadership for Building a Healthy Society’ programme.  This Public Health Advocacy website collection is a link to the resources on the Public Health Advocacy Website, managed by the emerging all-Ireland public health alliance (currently the Public Heath Alliance Ireland and Northern Ireland Public Health Alliance).  
   
• Public Health Information System Version 9 (PHIS CD V9) 
  The PHIS CD is produced annually by the Information Unit at the Department of Health and Children in the Republic of Ireland. The PHIS tables are a collection of Health Indicators that provide data under the following main headings: population, fertility, mortality and morbidity. Morbidity data is derived from three different sources, namely the Hospital Inpatient Enquiry System (HIPE), the National Cancer Registry, and the National Psychiatric Inpatient Reporting System (NPIRS).

• Smoking Prevalence data (International no smoking day May 31st)
  Prevalence data from the Continuous Household Survey in Northern Ireland for the years 1990-2005. The data is broken down by age & gender, and age & socio-economic status.
   
• WHO Health for all Database
  The WHO Health for all Database tables are sourced from the European health for all database, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark. The tables contain data on approximately 600 health indicators, including basic demographic and socioeconomic indicators; some lifestyle- and environment-related indicators; mortality, morbidity and disability;hospital discharges; and health care resources, utilization and expenditure. The data is available for the years 1996-2004.

Future INIsPHO thematic collections

We are currently compiling a list of tables and datasets for INIsPHO eData aimed at our clients. We are also reviewing possible information gaps in the data. Hence if you have any suggestions for tables or datasets that you would like to see on INIsPHO eData, then please let us know by sending Lorraine Fahy an email.

Tables to be included in 2008 are as follows:

• Chronic diseases hospital use across the island (ESRI)
• Injury Observatory of Britain and Ireland (IOBI)
• Irish Health Poverty Index
• Data from the Disability Databases Unit and the Mental Health Research Unit (HRB)
• Mortality data for Northern Ireland & Republic of Ireland
• Suicide data (NSRF)   
• Cooperation and Working Together (CAWT) profiles.