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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Yearb Med Inform 2019; 28(01): 195-202
DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-1677917
Section 9: Clinical Research Informatics
Survey
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart

The French Health Data Hub and the German Medical Informatics Initiatives: Two National Projects to Promote Data Sharing in Healthcare

Marc Cuggia
1   INSERM, UMR 1099, Rennes, France and Université de Rennes 1, LTSI, Rennes, France
,
Stéphanie Combes
2   Lab Santé, Sous-direction de l’observation de la santé et l’assurance maladie, DREES, France
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Publication History

Publication Date:
16 August 2019 (online)

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Summary

Objective: The diversity and volume of health data have been rapidly increasing in recent years. While such big data hold significant promise for accelerating discovery, data use entails many challenges including the need for adequate computational infrastructure and secure processes for data sharing and access. In Europe, two nationwide projects have been launched recently to support these objectives. This paper compares the French Health Data Hub initiative (HDH) to the German Medical Informatics Initiatives (MII).

Method: We analysed the projects according to the following criteria: (i) Global approach and ambitions, (ii) Use cases, (iii) Governance and organization, (iv) Technical aspects and interoperability, and (v) Data privacy access/data governance.

Results: The French and German projects share the same objectives but are different in terms of methodologies. The HDH project is based on a top-down approach and focuses on a shared computational infrastructure, providing tools and services to speed projects between data producers and data users. The MII project is based on a bottom-up approach and relies on four consortia including academic hospitals, universities, and private partners.

Conclusion: Both projects could benefit from each other. A Franco-German cooperation, extended to other countries of the European Union with similar initiatives, should allow sharing and strengthening efforts in a strategic area where competition from other countries has increased.

Keywords

Big data - interoperability - data sharing