Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.69827/bhdmi-39071
Who Guards Our Bodies in the Cloud? Primary and Secondary Use of Health Data in Croatia and the European Union
Ana-Marija Kraljik
; Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek School of Law, Osijek, Croatia
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* Corresponding author.
Abstract
The digital transformation of healthcare brings new opportunities but also risks for privacy and citizens' trust. Electronic health records (EHRs) today form the foundation of the modern healthcare system, but their primary and secondary use raise complex questions about ownership, accessibility, ethics and data protection. The subject of the paper refers to the analysis of legal, ethical and technical aspects of health data management in the context of the European Health Data Space (EHDS). The aim or purpose of the paper is to investigate Croatia's readiness to adapt to the implementation of legal and technical aspects arising from the European Health Data Space. The methodological framework of the paper is based on a consensus conference held as part of the author's doctoral dissertation entitled "Protection of Individual Health Data in the EU". The paper explores the relationship between patients' rights to privacy and the public interest in primary and secondary processing of health data, with special emphasis on the legal framework, ethical dilemmas and technical challenges of interoperability through three thematic units addressed within the consensus conference. In conclusion, guidelines are proposed for the development of a balanced system that will enable the use of data for the benefit of society, while at the same time preserving the fundamental human right to privacy.
Keywords
Electronic Health Records; Primary use of health data; secondary use of health data; European Health Data Space; EHDS
Hrčak ID:
342579
URI
Publication date:
29.12.2025.
Visits: 414 *