Data for My Health
Our healthcare system is a frontrunner globally. Consumers have access to affordable and accessible medical care. The various actors responsible for this, such as GPs and hospitals, store personal health data securely.
Secure personal health data imply the ability to share these data to a limited extent. Yet there are good reasons to make health data work better together. Giving people more control over these data, how they are shared, and with whom paves the way for the development of innovations leading to greater physical and mental well-being.
By setting these data to collaborate in a smart and secure way, previously invisible connections may become detectable. These connections may reveal a clearer picture of the factors that contribute fundamentally to people's well-being.
The potential of health data
Breaking down silo walls offers opportunities to the whole of society. Health scientists can gain important insights by analysing strictly anonymised data from thousands of people. These insights will be instrumental in giving prevention measures, policy, research and development the necessary data-driven impulses to make healthcare more efficient and affordable.
Individuals are, of course, also taking initiatives: pedometers, smartwatches, fitness and apps for eating and sleeping,.... Numerous technological tools can contribute to achieving more exercise, healthier eating and better sleeping – in short, a healthier life. But the data from these devices and apps are currently stored in silos, which results in fragmented insights.
The ultimate aim of health data collaboration is to make people healthier and give them an overall picture of their health status. Achieving sports goals can also be an element to be considered in a consumer health policy based on data collaboration.
Current projects concerning health
We Are – VITO
We Are is a partnership of a number of healthcare players, such as the Flemish Patients' Platform, Domus Medica and Zorgnet Icuro. With the support of the King Baudouin Foundation and based on the technical expertise of the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), a solution is being developed that gives consumers control over the management of their health data in the medical context.
This solution will warrant the emergence of personalised products and services that contribute to physical and mental well-being. In addition, the setup allows for safe and controlled use of this data for research and development.
Technically, We Are is built based on our personal data vaults, which means:
- consumers are at the helm and manage their data
- it is clear at all times what happens to personal data
- consumers choose which data can be used (anonymised or not) and by whom
- research institutes and/or companies are given new opportunities for research and development
- collaborations with other data collaboration platforms become possible
FTI health case
Even outside the strictly medical context, people accrue lots of data regarding their health. These include fragmented data from activity trackers, smartwatches and health apps.
