European Health Data Space – greater control of and access to health data across EU

The new European Health Data Space (EHDS) regulation is set to change this by creating a unified framework for secure, interoperable, and efficient health data sharing. This means, for example that: patients get seamless access to their medical records and better care experience anywhere in the EU (primary use), and researchers can get access to the data they need to drive new innovations (secondary use).

At Tietoevry Care, we support this transition through open standards, enabling a future where health data flows effectively and securely. Read more about EHDS, and the opportunities it brings along, below.

Current obstacles in accessing health data

The need for EHDS is driven by several challenges that currently hinder the optimal use of health data at both national and cross-border levels.

One of the key problems EHDS aims to address is the difficulty in accessing health data, both within individual countries and across the EU. Currently, various legal, technical, and administrative barriers prevent seamless data exchange, limiting the ability of healthcare professionals and researchers to leverage important sources of information. Without efficient access to health data, critical advancements in healthcare, such as personalized medication, are significantly constrained.

Need for collaboration in rare diseases and new medication

 
Key developments in the care sector, such as treatments for rare diseases and developing new medication, require access to a large amount of data and international collaboration between medical professionals and researchers. But the lack of harmonized health data policies and infrastructure makes such cooperation currently challenging. EHDS will enable efficient and secure data sharing, ensuring that researchers and healthcare providers can collaborate more effectively to develop groundbreaking treatments.

Ensuring citizens’ health data availability for better care

 
Another major issue EHDS aims to resolve is the unavailability of citizens’ health data for medical treatment, particularly in cross-border healthcare. Patients traveling within the EU often face difficulties in accessing their medical records, leading to delays or other inefficiencies in treatment. By standardizing data exchange processes, EHDS aims to ensure that patient health data is available when and where it is needed, improving the speed and quality of care across countries.

Underutilization of health data for innovation

Health data has immense potential to drive innovation in care services. However, due to fragmented data systems and inconsistent regulations, this potential hasn’t been broadly utilized yet. The inability to fully utilize health data slows down the development of more effective treatments, medicines, and artificial intelligence- and data-driven healthcare software. By providing better data sharing, EHDS aims to unlock new opportunities for medical research and innovation, ultimately improving patient outcomes across the EU.

Variability in national legislation and data practices

 
Variability in national legislation and data practices poses a significant challenge to establishing a unified European health data system. The EHDS seeks to harmonize this, promoting a more integrated and interoperable health data ecosystem that benefits all stakeholders, from patients and healthcare providers to researchers and policymakers. By establishing common standards and rules, the EHDS aims to create an equal playing field for data sharing and innovation across the EU.

The role of open standards in complying with EHDS

At Tietoevry Care, we have acknowledged these challenges and are committed to supporting care providers in meeting EHDS requirements while unlocking its full potential. Compliance with EHDS requires a comprehensive approach that encompasses legal and regulatory aspects, data security and privacy enhancements, as well as improvements in technical infrastructure, semantic interoperability, and data governance capabilities. Organizations need to carefully consider all these aspects to ensure that they are fully prepared for the EHDS. To ease this major transition, we have recognized the importance of using open standards like openEHR and FHIR. Nevertheless, it is good to acknowledge that it is not yet confirmed which standards will be part of EHDS.

Specifically, we recommend for all care providers to consider openEHR as a relevant tool: The EHDS aims to break down data silos, and openEHR provides a robust framework for achieving exactly this. Complying with openEHR means promoting interoperability, standardizing data structures and reducing integration costs. It ensures vendor neutrality, strengthens data governance, and facilitates secondary data-driven use cases, research and innovation. It therefore provides a solid foundation for building a more connected and efficient European health data ecosystem.

Moreover, we are convinced that the openEHR standard will play an important role in the shorter-term transitional phase. Many care providers have invested heavily in legacy systems throughout Europe. To ensure a smooth transition to the EHDS, openEHR can be implemented incrementally, allowing healthcare organizations to integrate it with their existing systems without requiring a complete overhaul. This is also important for the millions of care professionals in Europe using these legacy systems every single day.

Enabling interoperability and innovation with our Lifecare platforms

At Tietoevry Care, we are enabling broad access to open standards through our Lifecare Open Platform, a flexible and interoperable solution for storing and sharing health data. By leveraging openEHR, the platform ensures that clinical data remains consistently structured, regardless of the originating system. It also supports seamless integration of applications and modules from various vendors, creating a unified user experience.

For the secondary utilization of health data, our Lifecare Data Platform offers an AI-ready infrastructure that facilitates access to up-to-date health data from a variety of source systems. This is essential for research, development, and gaining operational insights. By providing secure processing environments, access to latest AI technology, and standardized data models such as the OMOP standard, the platform empowers health organizations to leverage and share their data effectively. These kinds of platforms foster innovation and research across Europe.

To conclude, I truly believe that EHDS has the potential to transform the European care landscape, supporting greater collaboration, enhancing innovation, and ensuring that health data is used effectively to improve the well-being of citizens across the EU.

We at Tietoevry Care are ready to support care providers on this journey.

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