Data governance
Digital Health and AI
Definition. Data governance is the framework of roles, rules and processes that determines how data are collected, stored, accessed, shared and protected within an organisation or health system.
Explanation
It covers data quality, ownership, consent, security and secondary use for research or AI. A WHO assessment of the European Region found that readiness for AI depends heavily on legal and governance foundations for data, not only on technology (World Health Organization, 2025).
Strong data governance makes it possible to reuse health data safely, for example for quality measurement or predictive models, while maintaining public trust.
Related concepts
AI governance Interoperability Cybersecurity Electronic health record (EHR) Health information system
Read on The Health Topics
References
World Health Organization. (2025). Artificial intelligence is reshaping health systems: State of readiness across the WHO European Region. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe
Cite this entry: Kurutkan, M. N. (2026). Data governance. In The Health Topics glossary. https://healthtopic.org/glossary/data-governance/