Data Spaces
The Health Data Space and its impact on innovation
Health Data usage is transforming the healthcare sector, fuelling advances in research, medical innovation, personalized medicine, public health, healthcare systems management and development of new technological healthcare solutions. In this context, the concept of Health Data Spaces takes centre stage, both at a national and European level.
What are Health Data Spaces and how do they contribute to innovation?
The European Health Data Space (EHDS)
The EHDS is a European Union regulation that seeks to create a common ecosystem for structured, harmonized and safe sharing and usage of health data between the European Union’s (EU) Member States.
One of its main goals is to promote the secondary use of health data – using health data to obtain knowledge and improve healthcare services.
Some examples of secondary use:
- scientific research for healthcare
- Medicine and medical devices development
- Digital innovation and development of artificial intelligence in health
- Defining and planning of health policies
The EHDS allows to maximize the value of existing health data, simultaneously ensuring high levels of data protection, privacy and security.
Secondary use of health data in Portugal
The secondary use of health data allows the reutilization of preexisting data to generate knowledge, improving healthcare outcomes and promoting a sustainable healthcare system that is fit for the needs of the general population.
Some stand-out benefits are:
- Improved analysis and understanding of diseases
- Development of personalized medicine
- Data-driven clinical decision support
- Higher healthcare system efficiency and sustainability
- Acceleration of research and technological innovation
In line with the EHDS Regulation and the requirements therein, Portugal is developing the national infrastructure for the secondary use of data – the Health Data Access Body (HDAB).
Establishing this body has as main objectives:
- Allowing the usage of clinical and administrative data from different entities for more comprehensive studies
- Ensuring the controlled access to data for research and innovation
- Promoting the ethical and secure utilization of health data
By providing structured and harmonized procedures for health data discovery, access and usage, the stage is set to empower secondary use of data in Portugal, in alignment with European best-practices.
The role of data in health innovation
Advancements in health data usage infrastructures are fundamental for innovation, resulting in:
- Access to high-quality health data
- Development of digital solutions based on real data
- Creation of predictive models and healthcare decision support tools
- Validation of tools in real-life context
The Inovar Saúde portal performs a relevant role in health data discovery and access requests, promoting health innovation in Portugal, in line with the evolution of data spaces.
Access to reliable and consistent health data is a critical factor to accelerate innovation projects with real data and broader scopes, opening new possibilities for advances in health sciences and medicine.
The national implementation of the European Health Data Space represents a decisive step towards the future of data-driven health innovation.
By creating the necessary conditions for ethical and secure secondary use of health data, these ecosystems open new avenues for research, technological development and healthcare improvements.
