Health information is a fundamental building block of health systems and the production, analysis, dissemination and use of reliable and timely information are preconditions for the successful operation of a health system at all levels. Because health information serves multiple health systems actors, and since data users have different needs and requirements, it is essential that health information is managed in ways that it becomes accessible for multiple actors for multiple purposes. The Swiss Learning Health System (SLHS) will propose and develop national data standards in collaboration with the WHO, suitable to comprehensively describe both the health and functioning of persons and populations and the components of the health system as a foundation for sustainable decision-making in the Swiss health system.

Data that is not available is data that cannot be used, for any purpose. Key to the Swiss Learning Health System's (SLHS's) goal of providing tools for the enhancement of communication between research, policy, and practice in the Swiss health system is access to relevant, timely and useable health data. This requires standardization and the capacity to make data comparable that has been collected from a variety of health settings, registries and administrative sources by a variety of actors using a variety of data collection tools and methods. In addition, disparate data sets need to be linked and information from various sources needs to be aggregated.

The Health System Lab aims at building facilities for experimental research. This includes tools and facilities for laboratory experimental studies that allow to test new theories and simulate policies and their impact on practice. In addition, it is planned to integrate a knowledge grid, which will allow to efficiently make knowledge generated within the SLHS re-usable in given or alternative contexts.