The European Health Data Space, EHDS, means more efficient and safer sharing of health data, which is significant both for patients, healthcare professionals, academia and research.

However, there are many challenges both at national and international level within the four interoperability layers – technology, semantics, law and organization. For example, certain changes in legislation are needed to achieve the goals of sharing health data across national borders, technology that works at all levels and coordination around semantics are also needed. In addition, it must be guaranteed that health data is made available centrally in a secure and efficient manner. Healthcare today generates 30 percent of all data in the world. Every patient visit, intervention and outcome is documented in digital health records and patient records. The amount of data is increasing faster than in any other sector. There is enormous potential to use health data to gain more knowledge about disease and ill-health, but also to advance scientific research, make policy decisions and optimize care for patients through proven experience as well as innovation.