A Security and Privacy Validation Methodology for e-Health Systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2s) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Flora Amato ◽  
Valentina Casola ◽  
Giovanni Cozzolino ◽  
Alessandra De Benedictis ◽  
Nicola Mazzocca ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Data Model ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Security And Privacy ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Health Applications ◽  
The Eu

e-Health applications enable one to acquire, process, and share patient medical data to improve diagnosis, treatment, and patient monitoring. Despite the undeniable benefits brought by the digitization of health systems, the transmission of and access to medical information raises critical issues, mainly related to security and privacy. While several security mechanisms exist that can be applied in an e-Health system, they may not be adequate due to the complexity of involved workflows, and to the possible inherent correlation among health-related concepts that may be exploited by unauthorized subjects. In this article, we propose a novel methodology for the validation of security and privacy policies in a complex e-Health system, that leverages a formal description of clinical workflows and a semantically enriched definition of the data model used by the workflows, in order to build a comprehensive model of the system that can be analyzed with automated model checking and ontology-based reasoning techniques. To validate the proposed methodology, we applied it to two case studies, subjected to the directives of the EU GDPR regulation for the protection of health data, and demonstrated its ability to correctly verify the fulfillment of desired policies in different scenarios.

scholarly journals 22.F. Workshop: What makes for resilient health systems? Evidence from the State of Health in the EU country profiles

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
The State ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Health System Strengthening ◽  
New Work ◽  
State Of Health ◽  
The Eu

Abstract The European Commission's State of Health in the EU (SoHEU) initiative aims to provide factual, comparative data and insights into health and health systems in EU countries. The resulting Country Health Profiles, published every two years (current editions: November 2019) are the joint work of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and the OECD, in cooperation with the European Commission. They are designed to support the efforts of Member States in their evidence-based policy making and to contribute to health care systems' strengthening. In addition to short syntheses of population health status, determinants of health and the organisation of the health system, the Country Profiles provide an assessment of the health system, looking at its effectiveness, accessibility and resilience. The idea of resilient health systems has been gaining traction among policy makers. The framework developed for the Country Profiles template sets out three dimensions and associated policy strategies and indicators as building blocks for assessing resilience. The framework adopts a broader definition of resilience, covering the ability to respond to extreme shocks as well as measures to address more predictable and chronic health system strains, such as population ageing or multimorbidity. However, the current framework predates the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic as well as new work on resilience being done by the SoHEU project partners. This workshop aims to present resilience-enhancing strategies and challenges to a wide audience and to explore how using the evidence from the Country Profiles can contribute to strengthening health systems and improving their performance. A brief introduction on the SoHEU initiative will be followed by the main presentation on the analytical framework on resilience used for the Country Profiles. Along with country examples, we will present the wider results of an audit of the most common health system resilience strategies and challenges emerging from the 30 Country Profiles in 2019. A roundtable discussion will follow, incorporating audience contributions online. The Panel will discuss the results on resilience actions from the 2019 Country Profiles evidence, including: Why is resilience important as a practical objective and how is it related to health system strengthening and performance? How can countries use their resilience-related findings to steer national reform efforts? In addition, panellists will outline how lessons learned from country responses to the Covid-19 pandemic and new work on resilience by the Observatory (resilience policy briefs), OECD (2020 Health at a Glance) and the EC (Expert Group on Health Systems Performance Assessment (HSPA) Report on Resilience) can feed in and improve the resilience framework that will be used in the 2021 Country Profiles. Key messages Knowing what makes health systems resilient can improve their performance and ability to meet the current and future needs of their populations. The State of Health in the EU country profiles generate EU-wide evidence on the common resilience challenges facing countries’ health systems and the strategies being employed to address them.

scholarly journals 29.F. Workshop: The Health Systems and Policy Monitor network: reforms and health system changes in the spotlight

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Health Policy ◽  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Health System ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Comparative Research ◽  
World Health ◽  
State Of Health ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Cross Country ◽  
The Eu

Abstract The European Observatory established the Health Systems and Policy Monitor (HSPM) network in 2008, bringing together an international group of high-profile institutions from Europe and beyond with high academic standing in health systems and policy analysis. An important step was taken in 2011, when the Bertelsmann Health Policy Monitor, a 20-country-project with already significant overlap with the current HSPM network, merged with the Observatory's network of national lead institutions. Today, the network includes 40 institutions from 31 countries, with members participating in a wide range of activities and collaborations, such as writing the Observatory's flagship health system reports (HiTs), keeping the health policy community up-to-date on health system developments via the HSPM web platform, and contributing their expertise to reports, studies and knowledge transfer exercises co-ordinated by the Observatory for a variety of audiences, including ministries of health and international organisations such as the World Health Organization and the European Commission. In addition, network members participate in an annual meeting, hosted in a different member country every year, coming together over two days to exchange knowledge and experiences about the various health system reforms happening in their countries. The aim of these meetings is to present, discuss and start comparative research collaborations of the members that can inform policymaking. As part of a collaboration with the journal Health Policy, researchers of the HSPM network have published more than 100 articles on cross-country comparisons of policies or on ongoing nation health reforms in a special section - the Health Reform Monitor - of the journal. This workshop aims to provide the audience with an overview of the network and its expanding range of activities. An introductory presentation will briefly introduce the origins of the network and discuss its current line of work. The second presentation will provide an overview of reform trends that are routinely collected during the annual meetings as part of the “reform roundup”. The third presentation will give an example of how the network has contributed to the European Commission's State of Health in the EU initiative, by performing a 'rapid response” that informed the companion report to the State of Health in the EU country health profiles 2019. The fourth presentation is a typical example of the kind of collaborative work that the network is undertaking, i.e. involving multiple countries on a topic of shared interest. The workshop will conclude with a debate with the audience about the conceptual and methodological challenges as well as opportunities and future directions of cross-country comparative research and the HSPM network in particular. Key messages The Health Systems and Policy Monitor Network provides detailed descriptions of health systems and provides up to date information on reforms and changes that are particularly policy relevant. The Health Systems and Policy Monitor Network increasingly engages in comparative health systems research and knowledge transfer activities.

Designing a M-Health Framework for Conceptualizing Mobile Health Systems

2011 ◽  
pp. 1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip Olla ◽  
Joseph Tan
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Mobile Networks ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Reference Model ◽  
Mobile Telecommunication ◽  
Technological Infrastructure ◽  
Key Dimensions ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Health Field

The reference model presented in this chapter encourages the breakdown of m-health systems into the following five key dimensions: communication infrastructure: this is a description of the mobile telecommunication technologies and networks; device type: this relates to the type of device being used such as PDA, sensor, or tablet PC; data display: describes how the data will be displayed to the user and transmitted such as images, e-mail and textual data; application purpose: identification of the objective for the m-health system; application domain: definition of the area that the system will be implemented. Healthcare stakeholders and system implementer can use the reference model presented in this chapter to understand the security implications of the proposed system, identify the technological infrastructure, business requirements and operational needs of the m-health systems being implemented. A reference model to encapsulate the emerging m-health field is needed for cumulative progress in this field. Currently, the m-health field is disjointed and it is often unclear what constitutes an m-health system. In the future, m-health applications will take advantage of technological advances such as device miniaturizations, device convergence, high-speed mobile networks, and improved medical sensors. This will lead to the increased diffusion of clinical m-health systems requiring better understanding of the components, which constitute the m-health system.

The M-Health Reference Model

2011 ◽  
pp. 455-473
Author(s):  
Phillip Olla ◽  
Joseph Tan
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Mobile Networks ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Reference Model ◽  
Mobile Telecommunication ◽  
Technological Infrastructure ◽  
Key Dimensions ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Health Field

The reference model presented in this article encourages the breakdown of M-Health systems into the following five key dimensions: (1) Communication Infrastructure: a description of mobile telecommunication technologies and networks; (2) Device Type: the type of device being used, such as PDA, sensor, or tablet PC; (3) Data Display: describes how the data will be displayed to the user and transmitted, such as images, email, and textual data; (4) Application Purpose: identification of the objective for the M-Health system; (5) Application Domain: definition of the area in which the system will be implemented. Healthcare stakeholders and system implementer can use the reference model presented in this article to understand the security implications of the proposed system and to identify the technological infrastructure, business requirements, and operational needs of the M-Health systems being implemented. A reference model that encapsulates the emerging M-Health field is needed for cumulative progress in this field. Currently, the M-Health field is disjointed, and it is often unclear what constitutes an M-Health system. In the future, M-Health applications will take advantage of technological advances such as device miniaturizations, device convergence, high-speed mobile networks, and improved medical sensors. This will lead to the increased diffusion of clinical M-Health systems, which will require better understanding of the components that constitute the M-Health system.

UK Public Health Systems

Public Health ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health System ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Public Health System ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
Public Health Systems ◽  
Science And Art ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Uk

Within the UK there are four public health systems covering each of four countries making up the UK: England is the largest country, followed by Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. There are many commonalities between the systems in terms of their functions and workforce terms and conditions as well as the challenges each faces. But in keeping with the devolved systems of government enjoyed by each country, the public health systems are organized differently and their structures and priorities reflect the differing contexts in which they are located. Drawing on the three domains outlined by Griffiths, Jewell, and Donnelly in their seminal 2005 paper and comprising health protection, health improvement, and health service delivery and quality, UK public health systems exist to protect and promote health improvement and well-being in the population and do so through devising policies and strategies and providing services as well as contributing to the evidence base in regard to what works to improve health. The definition of a public health system is clearly contingent on the definition and scope of public health. The UK public health systems have adopted the definition of public health advanced by the UK Faculty of Public Health and other bodies and first produced by a former Chief Medical Officer for England, Sir Donald Acheson, in 1998: “Public health is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through organised efforts of society.” A slightly extended version appeared in a review of public health carried out for the UK government by its appointed independent adviser, Sir Derek Wanless, in 2004: “Public health is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through the organised efforts and informed choices of society, organisations, public and private, communities and individuals.” These definitions share important characteristics including: public health is both a science and an art, essentially and always a combination of knowledge and action; the core purposes of public health are to prevent disease, prolong life, and promote health; public health is an organized societal function. Several aspects of these definitions can be highlighted as being especially pertinent to public health systems. Notable among these is the desire for closer links across health and the environmental sector; addressing social and political determinants of health as an essential and legitimate public health action; and the importance of health systems for public health improvement. Given these definitions with their whole-of-society focus, a public health system is wider and more inclusive than a health system. An effective public health system can be judged by the extent to which relevant groups, organizations, and sectors work effectively together on specific issues.

scholarly journals The Efficiency of Health Systems in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from the EU Countries

2022 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-15
Author(s):  
Tamara Rađenović ◽  
◽  
Vladimir Radivojević ◽  
Bojan Krstić ◽  
Tanja Stanišić ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
International Health ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Health Security ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Comprehensive Health ◽  
The Eu

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the insufficient capacities and capabilities of countries around the world to deal with global infectious diseases and stressed the need to improve the international health security frame-work. An efficient and comprehensive health system that is able to cope with public health emergencies is an essential prerequisite for strengthening health security. The paper analyzes the efficiency of health systems in the European Union (EU) countries and their responsiveness to the COVID-19 pandemic. The research covers 27 EU countries and it is based on the secondary data contained in the 2019 Global Health Security Index Re-port. The aim of the paper is to identify key determinants for improving the efficiency of health systems in the EU, as well as to examine the interdependence between health expenditures and the efficiency of health system in this sample of countries. The research is conducted through descriptive statistics and correlation and regression analysis. The conclusions can be useful for the EU policy makers in formulating a strategy to improve the efficiency of Member States’ health systems and preparedness for possible new pandemics.

scholarly journals Workshop: Everything you always wanted to know about EU health policy but were afraid to ask

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
European Union ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Health System ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Health In All Policies ◽  
Border Regions ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
The Eu

Abstract Objective The EU is often criticized for being ‘market-driven’ and practicing a form of ‘cold integration’. Any attempt, however, to strengthen solidarity and social integration in the EU is met by stakeholders in the member states with reservation and often outright refusal, arguing that health systems are national competence subject to the subsidiary principle. This conundrum of asking for more but allowing for less has blocked a scientifically informed public debate about the EU and health policy. The overall objective of this workshop is to discuss how health research can contribute to resolve this conundrum making the EU more conducive to the needs of health systems, public health (PH) and Health in All Policies (HiAP). To this end we will review the following 4 specific topics What are is EU-health policy and what other policies are affecting health and health systems?What tells us the projected Brexit-impact on the UK health system and PH about the value of EU health policy?Are EU-trade policies shaping healthier commercial determinants of health?What is the added value of cross-border care at and beyond border regions? This workshop is based on the update of the seminal volume “Everything you always wanted to know about European Union health policies but were afraid to ask” (2019, 2nd edition). Key note Scott Greer: In health and health systems the European Union is ubiquitous. Health systems in Europe are hard to figure without the cross border mobility of health professions. Patients going cross-borders. We have a European Medicines Agency that is regulating key aspects of the pharmaceutical market. Health systems have become part of the economic governance of the EU. In PH we have the ECDC, a PH programme and policies on health related consumer protection and may mechanism that should protect European citizens from scourges that know no borders. With health in all policies, the EU legislates literally on all known agents and, when in doubt, is using the pre-cautionary principle to protect citizens from health hazards. All this is supported by a large EU research programme. Panellist 1 N Fahy, the projected impact of Brexit on health system functions of the United Kingdom demonstrates how deep the integration goes and how beneficial it is for both health systems and public health. Panellist 2 H Jarman: The discussion around the Transatlantic Trade an Investment Partnership (TTIP) have risen worries about privatization of health services and lowering of food standards. But TTIP is only the tip of the Iceberg given that the EU has several types of trade agreements with many countries and groups of countries, shaping the commercial determinants of health. Panellist 3 W Palm: Cross-border collaboration is already taking place in many border regions. The European reference networks demonstrate the value of the cross-border collaboration beyond border regions, as does collaboration for joint purchasing and health workforce development. Key messages Health is important at the EU level and the EU level is important for health. Not shaping health and health systems at EU level will limit the perspectives of EU integration, health system development public health and HiAP. Panelists Scott Greer Holly Jarman Contact: [email protected] Nick Fahy Contact: [email protected] Willy Palm Contact: [email protected] Contact: [email protected]

scholarly journals Security and Privacy in IoT-Cloud-Based e-Health Systems—A Comprehensive Review

Symmetry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 1191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chanapha Butpheng ◽  
Kuo-Hui Yeh ◽  
Hu Xiong
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Computing ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Intelligent Systems ◽  
Future Trend ◽  
Security And Privacy ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Research Perspectives ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Iot Devices

When the Internet and other interconnected networks are used in a health system, it is referred to as “e-Health.” In this paper, we examined research studies from 2017–2020 to explore the utilization of intelligent techniques in health and its evolution over time, particularly the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and cloud computing. E-Health is defined as “the ability to seek, find, understand and appraise health information derived from electronic sources and acquired knowledge to properly solve or treat health problems. As a repository for health information as well as e-Health analysis, the Internet has the potential to protect consumers from harm and empower them to participate fully in informed health-related decision-making. Most importantly, high levels of e-Health integration mitigate the risk of encountering unreliable information on the Internet. Various research perspectives related to security and privacy within IoT-cloud-based e-Health systems are examined, with an emphasis on the opportunities, benefits and challenges of the implementation such systems. The combination of IoT-based e-Health systems integrated with intelligent systems such as cloud computing that provide smart objectives and applications is a promising future trend.

The M-Health Reference Model

2009 ◽  
pp. 432-450
Author(s):  
Phillip Olla ◽  
Joseph Tan
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Mobile Networks ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Reference Model ◽  
Mobile Telecommunication ◽  
Technological Infrastructure ◽  
Key Dimensions ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Health Field

The reference model presented in this article encourages the breakdown of M-Health systems into the following five key dimensions: (1) Communication Infrastructure: a description of mobile telecommunication technologies and networks; (2) Device Type: the type of device being used, such as PDA, sensor, or tablet PC; (3) Data Display: describes how the data will be displayed to the user and transmitted, such as images, email, and textual data; (4) Application Purpose: identification of the objective for the M-Health system; (5) Application Domain: definition of the area in which the system will be implemented. Healthcare stakeholders and system implementer can use the reference model presented in this article to understand the security implications of the proposed system and to identify the technological infrastructure, business requirements, and operational needs of the M-Health systems being implemented. A reference model that encapsulates the emerging M-Health field is needed for cumulative progress in this field. Currently, the M-Health field is disjointed, and it is often unclear what constitutes an M-Health system. In the future, M-Health applications will take advantage of technological advances such as device miniaturizations, device convergence, high-speed mobile networks, and improved medical sensors. This will lead to the increased diffusion of clinical M-Health systems, which will require better understanding of the components that constitute the M-Health system.

Supporting health systems in Europe: added value of EU actions?

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timo Clemens ◽  
Kai Michelsen ◽  
Helmut Brand
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Policy Agenda ◽  
Care Provision ◽  
Fiscal Consolidation ◽  
Patient Mobility ◽  
Efficient Care ◽  
Eu Support ◽  
The Eu

AbstractSince the start of the economic crisis, the European Union's (EU's) predominant discourse has been austerity and fiscal consolidation. The detrimental effects on Europe's health systems and the health status of its citizens are well described. However, little is known about the emerging EU-level initiatives to support national health systems handle the challenges of efficient care provision and system reorganisation aimed to meet their future needs. This review analyses the manner, conditions and prospects of such EU support. First, health system objectives are increasingly entering the EU health policy agenda. Second, professional and patient mobility provisions may support member states (MS) in copying with crisis related health challenges but can potentially acerbate them at the same time. Third, in recent initiatives health system goals are more closely tied to the EU's economic growth narrative. And fourth, health system issues are taken up in existing EU-level structures for debate and exchange between MS. In addition, the design of some policies may have the potential to intensify socioeconomic and health inequalities rather than ameliorate them.

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