Digital Health

To fulfill the requirements of the recently launched European Health Data Space (EHDS), Fraunhofer FIT implemented an EHDS-compatible pilot data space demonstrator for health data. The aim was to demonstrate practical technical implementation issues of health data exchange and to gain a better understanding of the structures to be created within the EHDS. 

The project "EHDS-compatible Pilot Data Space Demonstrator" aimed to promote the secure use and exchange of health data. By developing a prototype, innovative approaches to data processing and analysis were demonstrated that meet the requirements of the European Health Data Space (EHDS).

The project focused on demonstrating the use of synthetic health data in a distributed data space. Two use cases – based on clinical data and cancer registry information – were developed. An interactive dashboard visualized the results and demonstrated the secure data flow between sources. The implementation included:

• A synthetic data set that simulates real-world scenarios.
• A secure processing environment with pseudonymization and anonymization.
• A dashboard for interactive presentation of the analyses.

The project partners – including the Fraunhofer Institutes FIT and ITMP and AstraZeneca – worked closely with stakeholders from hospitals, cancer registries and industry. Workshops and working groups helped to identify technical and organizational challenges. Data processing was carried out in accordance with international standards such as HL7/FHIR, SNOMED-CT and ICD-10, among others, to ensure interoperability.

The project showed that a distributed data space is a viable solution for the use of health data. Synthetic data proved to be a valuable tool for evaluating analyses before accessing real data. However, the discussions made it clear that regulatory and organizational challenges exist that require standardization.

The final symposium brought together representatives from ministries, hospitals and industry. The results were well received, particularly regarding EHDS compliance and the potential for innovative applications.