Secur-e-Health enhances patient experience, efficiency and costs

Sensitive health data is often kept in silos in a way that it cannot be efficiently leveraged for authorised medical research and data analysis purposes. In response to the critical need for fortified data security and enhanced patient care, the ITEA project Secur-e-Health has emerged as a groundbreaking and unprecedented initiative, uniting 25 leading companies across Canada, Finland, Germany, Portugal and the Netherlands.

The project aims to go beyond borders by integrating cutting-edge encryption and artificial intelligence into medical databases. It ensures secure data transfers and provides personalised insights to healthcare providers. As part of the project, innovative solutions were developed, including predictive risk assessment models, secure crossorganisational analysis platforms, decentralised clinical trial frameworks and decentralised predictive clinical decision support systems tailored to pediatric care, transforming traditional healthcare approaches.

The tangible outcomes of Secur-e-Health are already visible across the participating countries. Delving into one of the prominent use-cases within the consortium, the Canadian ‘Siteless Clinical Trials’ initiative reimagines traditional clinical studies via decentralised approaches, streamlining patient participation and enhancing data management. It implements novel secure biometric authentication protocols and emphasises patient consent, removing the need to visit the clinic or the hospital. This means that from the initial screening visit to the end of the followup period, patients can now engage in the study entirely remotely, enhancing their overall experience. Not only does this approach optimise patient inclusion across all regions of Quebec, Canada, but it also accelerates recruitment objectives, consequently shortening the duration of clinical trials for the Montreal Heart Institute, the principal participant in this use-case.

Alongside enhancing the efficiency of studies, the elimination of in-person visits for biomarker collection and drug distribution also significantly reduces their associated costs. Moreover, by enabling Canada’s biopharmaceutical companies to develop products with reduced funding, the initiative fosters the creation of substantial value for the companies involved and the country. The digital framework and flexible organisation for siteless clinical trials integrate standard electronic clinical trial tools with innovative technologies such as video conferencing, patientreported outcome tools, Internet of Things integration and drug compliance intelligent assistants, ensuring a seamless and efficient trial process for all stakeholders involved.

In conclusion, the Secur-e-Health project stands out for the diversity and scope of its initiatives, with over 13 use-cases currently in progress. Each partner is deeply committed to this collective endeavour aimed at revolutionising modern medicine by integrating cutting-edge cybersecurity techniques. This exemplary partnership marks the beginning of a new era in which secure, personalised and innovative medicine becomes a tangible reality.

Together, we are reshaping the landscape of healthcare for generations to come.

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