PAHO strengthens regional capacities to advance ICD-11 implementation for mortality

Washington, D.C., August 17, 2026 (PAHO) - The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Mexican Center for the Classification of Diseases (CEMECE) concluded the regional course "Training of ICD-11 Coders and Its Tools: Mortality Component for the Americas," a joint initiative developed between April and July 2026 that strengthened the technical capacities of professionals from 18 countries and consolidated a regional space for exchange to support the implementation of the International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision (ICD-11), in national health information systems.

The program was delivered in a hybrid format, combining an in-person phase held from April 20 to 24 in Mexico City with a virtual phase consisting of ten weekly sessions and 30 hours of specialized training. This format made it possible to prepare a group of country-designated professionals to lead national transition processes toward ICD-11 while expanding access to technical knowledge through open sessions aimed at the regional community.

During the virtual phase, professionals from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, United States, and Uruguay participated. The sessions regularly brought together hundreds of participants and recorded peaks of over 4,000 connections, reflecting the growing regional interest in strengthening mortality coding capabilities and moving toward the implementation of the new classification.

Throughout the program, key technical components required for the transition to ICD-11 were addressed: coding logic for mortality; selection of the underlying cause of death, including data quality and clinical documentation in mortality; the use of the ICD-11 browser and its coding tools; medical terminology; automated coding using the DORIS and IRIS systems; validation and analysis of results; the application of special instructions; coding of trauma, poisonings, and external causes; and comparability studies between ICD-10 and ICD-11.

Beyond technical training, the course promoted the exchange of experiences among specialists, ministries of health, national statistical institutes, and collaborating centers in the Region. This space also benefited from the expertise and contributions of Statistics Canada, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Chile, and the Central Bureau of Statistics Netherlands. This joint effort strengthened a regional network of professionals committed to improving the quality of mortality statistics, recognizing that ICD-11 implementation is a transformation process requiring ongoing cooperation among countries and institutions.

During the closing session, organizers emphasized that transitioning to ICD-11 is not merely about adopting a new classification, but about advancing toward a digital transformation in how health information is produced-incorporating digital tools, strengthening interoperability, and modernizing national health information systems. Furthermore, they stressed that each country will undergo this process according to its priorities, capacities, and institutional context, while maintaining the common goal of improving the quality and comparability of mortality data.

As part of the next stage, PAHO will continue providing technical cooperation to Member States to support national implementation processes, promote cross-country knowledge sharing, and consolidate a regional community of practice to facilitate technical inquiries and collaborative learning during the transition to ICD-11.

This initiative was developed within the framework of PAHO's Action Plan for the Strengthening of Information Systems for Health 2030, with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies through the Data for Health (D4H) initiative, and was facilitated by the Mexican Center for the Classification of Diseases (CEMECE), a WHO Collaborating Center for the Family of International Classifications in Mexico, in collaboration with specialists and institutions across the Region.

Implementing ICD-11 represents a collective effort that goes beyond training. It requires strengthening governance, adapting processes, updating systems, and fostering coordinated work among institutions responsible for producing vital statistics. Along this path, shared knowledge, technical cooperation, and country commitment will remain vital to building stronger health information systems and generating timely, comparable, and actionable mortality data to guide public health decisions.