The European mHealth Hub organised the 9^th mHealth Hub Talk entitled “Citizen-centric EHR data sharing for care and research: the industry perspective” on February 16th 2022.

An overview of a decentralized approach to health data sharing mediated by citizens and supported by mobile technologies was presented by Francesco Torelli and Vincent Keunen, partners in the InteropEHRate project funded by the European Commission Horizon 2020 programme.

InteropEHRate open protocols for device-to-device and research data exchanges and the role of mediating Smart EHRs were discussed with an expert panel of the health technology industry that included Giedre Kvedaraviciene (COCIR), Michael Strübin (MedTech Europe), Maritta Perälä-Heape (University of Oulu, Finland) and Andrea Buccoliero (GPI, Italy).

Adoption barriers and the potential of a citizen-centric health data approach were debated. The health technology industry relies on ongoing European policies to facilitate a better integration of digital health solutions with existing health information systems and prevent fragmentation. Adopting interoperability standards was highlighted by the panellists as a key enabler for developing health data ecosystems where EHR vendors, medical devices manufacturers and developers of digital therapeutics could participate to improve care and boost research and innovation.

Further information about InteropEHRate open protocols and solutions can be found in the white papers “Unleashing personal health data for care and research: The InteropEHRate approach” and “Real-world evidence in health and care research: The contribution of InteropEHRate”.

As always, it has been an enriching experience. You may watch (or re-watch) this Hub Talk here.