HSE National Policy
HSE National Policy for Individual Health Identifier (IHI) Data Standards
Topic:
Individual health identifier (ihi) data standards
Document Owner:
General Manager, HSE National Health Identifiers (HIDS) Team, Office of the Chief Data & Analytics Officer (CDAO)
National Group:
HSE National Health Identifiers (HIDS) Team, Office of the Chief Data & Analytics Officer (CDAO)
Effective From: 11 November 2025
This policy defines the Data Field Standards necessary to ensure the accurate and reliable matching of patients to their corresponding Individual Health Identifier (IHI).
This policy establishes the HSE’s essential data field standards for Patient Identity Management, specifying best-practice display names, descriptions, data entry guidelines, and format requirements. These standards apply across the entire HSE estate and all consumer systems seeking to match a patient to their IHI. Benefits of the policy will be enhancing data integrity, minimising identity errors, and improving patient safety.
This policy serves two main objectives:
- The minimum essential requirement for all new system procurements, ensuring that data fields adhere to the required standards to achieve consistent IHI matching.
- Underpins a national HSELanD training and education programme, designed to enhance the standardisation, accuracy, and completeness of patient data at the point of registration.