E-Health

ePrivacy advises companies and certifies products in the E-Health context in cases in which stringent requirements as to data protection and data security have to be met. Certification in the form of the recognized ePrivacyseal data protection seal will be possible where a product complies with German or European data protection legislation to an exemplary degree.

In the specialist book "E-Health: Datenschutz und Datensicherheit – Herausforderungen und Lösungen im IoT-Zeitalter" ePrivacy authors explain the basics of data security and data protection in e-health applications, discuss the results of current studies and provide concrete, practice-oriented solutions for the secure design of the digitalisation of the health care system. The ePrivacy book can be purchased online via Springer-Verlag.

In this context, ePrivacy also informs within webinars what needs to be considered in the e-health sector. The recording of the webinar "Data protection Quickcheck for eHealth companies" is available as a recording.

    DR. MED. JOHANNES JACUBEIT

    Founder & CEO, connected-health.eu GmbH / LifeTime

    High data protection standards are mandatory for health data. ePrivacy's certification is therefore very important for our health app.

What is E-Health?

E-Health is an umbrella term referring to the use of digital technologies in the healthcare sector. Above all, digital technologies lend themselves to use in connection with all media and services employed for preventative, diagnostic, treatment, monitoring and administrative purposes. The E-Health market is experiencing growth rates in double figures.

mHealth refers to the area of E-Health which is of particular relevance from a data protection perspective, namely to E-Health applications on smartphones and other mobile devices.

Examples of E-Health/mHealth products:

  • Electronic patient records
  • Electronic medical card
  • Decision support systems for hospitals
  • Big data diagnostics
  • Telemedicine applications, such as remote monitoring/home monitoring of patients' vital signs and online patient diaries
  • Internet medicine and healthcare portals 
  • Computer-supported recording of medical histories
  • Medical and health-related mobile phone apps
  • Recording of data by means of wearables
  • Medical information systems
  • Assisted living systems for the elderly
  • Online drugstores
  • Consolidation and exploitation of medical (health-related) data for other purposes

Most of the above-mentioned applications involve the collection of personal data which, due to its health-related nature, may in legal terms be classified as particularly sensitive. Special data protection regulations which reflect the very high degree of protection to be afforded such data must be complied with in the context of the collection, processing, transmission and storing thereof.

The German "E-Health Act" (E-Health-Gesetz) adopted by the German Federal Government at the end of 2015 establishes the legal framework for the introduction of eHealth technologies in the healthcare sector, and places great value on the issues of patient benefit, data protection and data security. Furthermore, eHealth and mHealth products may be subject to the provisions of the German Medical Products Act (MPG).

Why is it a good idea to obtain advice or certification in the form of the ePrivacyseal in the E-Health sector?

  • eHealth and mHealth products can from the outset be developed in such a manner as to ensure their compliance with currently applicable legislation ("privacy by design").
  • The need for any subsequent amendments in line with data protection regulations can be dispensed with.
  • Data breaches and the associated subsequent financial losses and loss of reputation can be avoided.
  • App providers become familiar with any technical flaws in their apps with regard to data protection and data security and are able to rectify these before any critical data leaks occur.
  • Obtaining certification for an eHealth product demonstrates your commitment to data protection as a means of building trust.

Services provided by ePrivacy with regard to E-Health products

ePrivacy will assist you in designing your products, technologies and services in line with the extremely stringent requirements imposed by applicable data protection legislation. We will help you and your employees to ensure the secure handling of sensitive patient and user data.

A selection of our customers in this industry

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