Health data stewardship

World-class health systems require a strong data foundation — a foundation that will provide essential support for the collection, access, sharing and use of health data in a timely and trusted manner for the benefit of all Canadians.

To help make this foundation a reality, health data stewardship is advancing our collective approach to managing and making decisions around data in order to address the current fragmentation and complexities that exist across our health systems and that limit the sharing and use of data.

Good data stewardship is about taking care of data for public and individual benefit. It is a holistic approach that involves managing and protecting data responsibly and equitably, ensuring accuracy, privacy and security throughout its life cycle. It means being transparent about how data is used and shared, maintaining its quality, and adhering to relevant laws, policies and ethical standards. It includes making data accessible and usable for those who need it, while safeguarding it against misuse.¹

Adopting a data stewardship approach will mean that

• Canadians will benefit from health information being shared securely and efficiently across care settings and with trusted partners for their individual and common benefit.
• Health system data stewards will have the tools and community they need to manage and share data appropriately and effectively.
• Health system leaders and other data users will have timely and secure access to quality data to efficiently manage and improve health systems.

As an organization dedicated to health data and information, and with a solid reputation as a trusted convenor, CIHI is leading a pan-Canadian initiative working with stakeholders across health systems to drive necessary changes — in policy, practice, legislation and culture — to adopt a stewardship approach to data across the country.

To set a strong foundation for a data stewardship approach, CIHI is

• Developing a pan-Canadian health data stewardship framework — grounded in the Pan-Canadian Health Data Charter² — that describes what is required in taking a stewardship approach to data
• Establishing a governance structure to oversee implementation of the framework and to advance consistency of approaches and remove barriers to data sharing and use 
• Taking stock of all the data stewardship–related activity already underway within provinces and territories and at a pan-Canadian level

We will also be a catalyst in adopting a stewardship approach.

• Through the governance structure, we will monitor and help drive progress on data stewardship initiatives and identify key issues or challenges that still need to be solved. 
• We will release a toolkit to support framework implementation, monitor progress and highlight best practices, and support knowledge translation and capacity-building within health systems.
• We will conduct and contribute to projects to advance harmonization and remove barriers.
   

Data stewardship is a holistic approach to data and therefore requires a holistic and inclusive approach to engagement.

CIHI will be actively engaging and collaborating with stakeholders and experts including patients; clinicians; researchers; First Nations, Inuit and Métis leaders; federal, provincial and territorial decision-makers; and health data organizations. This engagement and collaboration will share information, raise awareness, identify areas of focus and support framework development and implementation. This will also include building new relationships and partnerships, as well as leveraging existing relationships between various stakeholder groups. 

This initiative represents one piece of the transformation required in Canada’s health data ecosystem. Data stewardship is mainly focused on the people and organizational changes that are required. CIHI has other initiatives, such as Connected Care, that aim to transform data standards and digital health systems required for collecting, sharing and using data.

Note that as more content becomes available, it will be added to this page. We encourage you to check back for all the latest information. 

• CIHI’s Health Data Ethics Framework (PDF)
• CIHI’s Information Quality Framework (PDF)

1. Government of Canada. Be good data stewards. Accessed February 5, 2025.
2. Government of Canada. Pan-Canadian Health Data Charter. October 12, 2023.