Europe is ready to become a common space also in terms of health data. The green light came in recent days from the European Parliament, which with 445 votes in favour, 142 against and 39 abstentions approved the birth of the “European Health Data Space, or EHDS”, a set of rules which will make it possible to create an electronic medical record accessible from all EU countries, and will also open the doors to the sharing of health data, anonymously, for research purposes.
The “European Health Data Space”
The European Parliament’s vote comes after months of negotiations on the draft legislation presented by the European Commission in 2022. Thanks to the new “European health data space”, all patients residing within EU borders will be able to access their health data in format electronic, even from a state other than the one in which they live. For their part, healthcare professionals will have the possibility to consult their patients’ files, with their consent (so-called primary use), also from other EU countries.
Electronic medical records should include patient reports, electronic prescriptions, medical images and laboratory results. Health data may be transferred to providers in other nations when citizens move to another state. And your health record will always be accessible and downloadable for free.
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The most controversial point of the initial draft concerned the use of health data by institutions external to the health service (or secondary use). Compared to the initial draft, the new agreement voted by the European Parliament explicitly excludes the possibility that the data are transferred for commercial purposes, such as for advertising, the evaluation of insurance requests or loan conditions, or the taking of decisions on the market of work.
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Possible uses will instead be those relating to the orientation of the health policies of individual states or the Union, the use for statistical purposes, for training and education activities in the field of health, for scientific research and health safety purposes. Decisions regarding access will be taken by national data access bodies, and citizens will be able to decide at any time to refuse access to their data, except for uses of significant public, political or statistical interest.
These are broadly the rules voted by the European Parliament. The agreement now passes to the European Council, which will be responsible for final approval.
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– 2024-05-10 00:20:30
