Privacy protection for HealthGrid applications.

OBJECTIVES: This contribution aims at introducing the problem of privacy protection in e-Health and at describing a number of existing privacy enhancing techniques (PETs). The recognition that privacy constitutes a fundamental right is gradually entering public awareness. Because healthcare-related data are susceptible to being abused for many obvious reasons, public apprehension about privacy has focused on medical data. Public authorities have become convinced of the need to enforce privacy protection and make considerable efforts for promoting through privacy protection legislation the deployment of PETs. METHODS: Based on the study of the specific features of Grid technology, ways in which PET services could be integrated in the HealthGrid are being analyzed. Grid technology aims at removing barriers between local and remote resources. The privacy and legal issues raised by the HealthGrid are caused by the transparent interchange and processing of sensitive medical information. PET technology has already proven its usefulness for privacy protection in health-related marketing and research data collection. RESULTS: While this paper does not describe market-ready solutions for privacy protection in the HealthGrid, it puts forward several cases in which the Grid may benefit from PETs. CONCLUSION: Early integration of privacy protection services into the HealthGrid can lead to a synergy that is beneficial for the development of the HealthGrid itself.

Development of the Logical Observation Identifier Names and Codes (LOINC) vocabulary.

The LOINC (Logical Observation Identifier Names and Codes) vocabulary is a set of more than 10,000 names and codes developed for use as observation identifiers in standardized messages exchanged between clinical computer systems. The goal of the study was to create universal names and codes for clinical observations that could be used by all clinical information systems. The LOINC names are structured to facilitate rapid matching, either automated or manual, between local vocabularies and the universal LOINC codes. If LOINC codes are used in clinical messages, each system participating in data exchange needs to match its local vocabulary to the standard vocabulary only once. This will reduce both the time and cost of implementing standardized interfaces. The history of the development of the LOINC vocabulary and the methodology used in its creation are described.

Privacy enhancing techniques - the key to secure communication and management of clinical and genomic data.

OBJECTIVES: To introduce some of the privacy protection problems related to genomics based medicine and to highlight the relevance of Trusted Third Parties (TTPs) and of Privacy Enhancing Techniques (PETs) in the restricted context of clinical research and statistics. METHODS: Practical approaches based on two different pseudonymisation models, both for batch and interactive data collection and exchange, are described and analysed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The growing need of managing both clinical and genetic data raises important legal and ethical challenges. Protecting human rights in the realm of privacy, while optimising research potential and other statistical activities is a challenge that can easily be overcome with the assistance of a trust service provider offering advanced privacy enabling/enhancing solutions. As such, the use of pseudonymisation and other innovative Privacy Enhancing Techniques can unlock valuable data sources.

Standardisation in health care informatics and telematics in Europe: CEN TC 251 activities.

This article describes the actual user requirements of the Health Care sector in connection with Telematics. The importance of standardisation is stressed. The paper further gives an overview of the current standing of the activities of CEN TC 251 (European Standardisation Committee, Technical Committee on Health Care Informatics).

The Dynamic Patient Simulator: learning process, first results and students' satisfaction.

The Dynamic Patient Simulator (DPS) is an interactive case-program. After solving the case, third year medical students filled in an anonymous questionnaire. In this study we tried to have insight in the students' learning process and satisfaction. First results are presented. It seems that the implementation of the case was experienced as positive. The time aspect should be scheduled better and students should have as much time as they want to solve the case.

The PRIDEH project: taking up privacy protection services in e-health.

PRIDEH (Privacy Enhancement in Data Management in e-Health) is a project that runs for two years and is partly funded by the European Commission. The focus of PRIDEH is on the stimulation of the take-up of privacy enhancing technologies within the health domain. Privacy enhancing technologies build upon available cryptographic and communication technologies. The concept of privacy enhancing services delivery through the use of intermediary trusted third parties has already been described in literature but rarely turned into practice. A number of limited PET (Privacy Enhancing Technologies) applications exist in closed domains. The very few existing solutions are not based on an independent TTP (Trusted Third Party) concept which renders their trustworthiness questionable. PRIDEH wants to enhance the take-up of PET delivery based on sound TTP principles in the domain of healthcare.

Electronic signature and certification models in health care.

Recently, Belgian legislation has enabled the practical use of electronic signatures. Several implementation options are still open and different models for deployment on a wide scale are possible. This document describes two models that can be applied to the healthcare domain and summarises the recommendations as issued by the Belgian Health Telematics Standards Committee

Test-based E-Learning: a new path in training medical students.

TENDO is a project conducted by the Department of Medical Informatics and Statistics of the Ghent University in the field of E-Learning and more specifically E-Testing (Electronic, on line testing). At this stage, the main goal of Tendo is to measure the knowledge of (medical) students making use of the Internet. The on line Tendo E-Testing tool has been used to examine students of the 4th year studying Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation. The aim of this document is to give an overview of the features of E-Testing and more specifically of the Tendo product.

e-Health standardization in Europe: lessons learned.

Challenges regarding standardization in e-Health are analyzed, and solutions for ensuring their practical implementation are proposed. Emphasis is put on new mechanisms for enhancing the collaboration between the industry and standardization bodies.

European standards development in healthcare informatics: actual and future challenges.

This paper focuses on the current and future standardisation activities in CEN TC251 (European Standardisation Committee, Technical Committee on Medical Informatics). The progress of the Committee's standards development is summarized per working group. The main challenges of the next years are enumerated: coordination across working groups and project teams, quality management, and international harmonisation (especially with the USA).

Telestroika in health care informatics: a challenge for standardization in Europe.

This article describes the actual user requirements of the health care sector in connection with telematics. The importance of standardization is stressed. The paper further gives an overview of the current standing of the activities of CEN TC 251 (European Standardization Committee, Technical Committee on Health Care Informatics).

Standardisation in medical informatics in Europe.

This paper stresses the importance of standardisation in the domain of healthcare informatics and telematics. The paper gives an overview of the current standing of the activities of CEN TC 251 (European Standardisation Committee, Technical Committee on Healthcare Informatics) and describes the scope and content of a number of emerging European standards.

Standardization in Medical Informatics.

This article stresses the importance of standardization in the domain of Health and Medical Informatics, and Telematics. It gives an overview of the current standing of the activities of CEN TC 251 (European Standardization Committee, Technical Committee on Health Care informatics) and describes the scope and content of a number of emerging European standards.

Towards a meta-syntax for medical edi.

Assessment of the current medical edi (electronic data interchange) environment shows that 'old' syntaxes are used to specify interchange formats of messages containing highly complex information of a quickly evolving nature. After translation of message requirements towards message interchange format specifications in accordance with underlying syntax rules, system developers use modern technologies to implement the sending and receiving of edi message instances towards the distorted view imposed by these message interchange formats. The coexistence of several syntaxes and the urgent need for more standardised message types, require a new type of techniques and tools. The new mechanism should support a non-distorted message type development and provide the framework for data-driven conversion of message instances, from one interchange format to another.