Just over a week ago, the European Parliament endorsed the creation of the European Health Data Space (EHDS) and the regulatory framework needed to make it a reality, with the aim of unlocking the potential of health data across Europe.
What does this mean in practice? Imagine Lithuania’s existing e.sveikata system expanded to operate across the European Union. In simple terms, the European Health Data Space is a framework for sharing health-related data that aims to make life easier for healthcare professionals, researchers, businesses and, most importantly, patients.
Healthcare professionals will be able to access a patient’s medical history regardless of national borders. This will provide them with a broader evidence base when making decisions about diagnosis and treatment, including situations where a patient’s records are held in another EU Member State.
Researchers and industry will gain easier access to large volumes of health data for secondary use, based on anonymised information. Such a digital environment is expected to accelerate research and reduce costs. At present, research projects are often limited by fragmented databases that exist separately across different countries, restricting the geographical and demographic scope of studies. More efficient research ultimately leads to new and innovative products.
Patients, meanwhile, will find it easier to share their health information with healthcare providers and specialists in other countries. Information stored within the European Health Data Space would be available in the language of the country where healthcare services are being provided, making cross-border treatment significantly more straightforward.
If these objectives are successfully implemented, it is easy to imagine how the system could affect patients in everyday life. For example, while travelling within the European Union, a person who suddenly becomes unwell may need to seek medical assistance. The treating physician would be able to view the patient’s health summary and electronic prescriptions in a language they understand. Today, only a limited number of countries exchange patient summaries and e-prescriptions across borders, and Lithuania is not yet among them.
Naturally, a system designed to store and process vast amounts of health data relating to EU citizens would need to meet the highest cybersecurity standards. Without robust protection against cyberattacks, the consequences could extend beyond harm to individual patients and undermine public trust in healthcare systems themselves.
