About European Health Data Space
The European Health Data Space (EHDS) aims to facilitate access to medical records for patients and healthcare professionals across the EU (European Union ). It will serve as a unified, secure system for health data exchange. The EHDS differentiates between primary and secondary uses of data. Primary use means the use of personal health data by citizens and healthcare professionals. Secondary use concerns the (re)use of aggregated health data by researchers, policy makers, innovators and companies.
The Second Joint Action Towards the European Health Data Space (TEHDAS2)
TEHDAS2 aims to develop common guidelines and technical specifications to facilitate the access to health data for secondary purposes, such as research, innovation and policymaking. The European Member States and European Commission can use these documents to support the national implementation and development of implementing acts of the forthcoming European Health Data Space (EHDS) regulation. Ultimately, the Joint Action will contribute to more efficient European collaboration on data sharing to benefit the public health in Europe and foster the competitiveness of European researchers and innovators. The project started in May 2024, and will run until December 2026.
RIVM's role in TEHDAS2
RIVM participates in multiple TEHDAS2 work packages. For one, we co-coordinate work package 6 on access to data, which aims to enhance the common understanding about and the operationalisation of access to electronic health data. This work package will develop guidelines on making personal and non-personal/anonymous health data available, the requirements during the data application, issuing data permits and decisions on data requests, and technical specifications and/or requirements for the so-called Data Access Application Management Systems (DAAMS). In addition, RIVM contributes to the development of a guideline on international and third- country access to health data and a recommendation on informing natural persons about the use of health data through a Citizen Information Point.