With the slogan “The Journey of Data: The European Challenge from Vall d’Hebron. Simulating the User Journey in the European Health Data Space: Needs, Access, and Application of the Regulation,” the third edition of the conference “Adding Data, Multiplying Knowledge” focused on the application of the European Health Data Space (EHDS) and its impact on the healthcare system. The event included a practical simulation in which various stakeholders, researchers, industry, and patients, submitted health data requests and explored the challenges and opportunities of accessing health data for secondary use under the EHDS framework.

The conference was opened by Dr. Albert Salazar, Manager of Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, and Zaira Benítez, Head of the Data Architecture Unit. Discussions centered on the experiences, lessons learned, challenges, and opportunities highlighted by the simulation exercise for stakeholders in the electronic health data ecosystem. Special emphasis was placed on secure access to healthcare data for research and policy-making, ensuring ethical, safe, and interoperable use of information.

The third edition of “Adding Data, Multiplying Knowledge” was sponsored by TriNetX, GMV, InterSystems, and IBM, with PredictBy collaborating on the strategic design and execution of the simulation and conference.

The first panel focused on digital health strategies, featuring an opening talk by Irini Kessissoglou, Policy Officer at the European Commission. Panelists included Noemí Cívicos, Director General of Digital Health and Information Systems for Spain’s National Health System; Pol Pérez, Director of the Information Systems Area of the Catalan Health Service and General Coordinator of ICT for the Health Department; and Bernardo Valdivieso, Secretary of Planning, Information, and Digital Transformation at the Valencian Health Department. The session, moderated by Pau López, Head of Information Systems at the Catalan Health Institute, provided a platform to share visions, challenges, and opportunities for digital transformation in healthcare.

The next panel analyzed user expectations and initial reactions to the European Health Data Space. “To improve the current process of accessing health data and understand the challenges of the ecosystem created by the EHDS, we conducted a role play simulating the data access process, from defining needs to using secure processing environments, with researchers, industry, and patients,” explained Zaira Benítez, Head of the Data Architecture Unit. Moderated by Anna Pedrola, Head of the Data Engineering Unit at the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), the panel featured Amelia Martín, Director of the Clinical and Translational Research Department at Farmaindustria; Tomàs Fajardo, Board Member of the Patient Organizations Platform and President of Cardioalianza; Roberto Saldaña, Director of Innovation and Citizen Engagement at Eupati Spain; and Esperanza Zuriguel-Pérez, Research Coordinator in Nursing at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital and Head of the Multidisciplinary Nursing Research Group at Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR). The discussion highlighted the importance of integrating patient, professional, and industry perspectives into the design and development of data spaces.

Under the title “The Regulator Perspective,” another panel explored regulatory viewpoints on the EHDS and its users. Moderated by Sergi Morales, Head of the Data Protection Unit at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, panelists included Anna Boix, Legal Director at VHIR and member of Vall d’Hebron’s Data Access Committee; Ignacio Ferreira, Head of the Cardiology Service and President of the Ethics Committee; Ramón Román, Director of the Data and Artificial Intelligence Area at AQUAS; and Miriam Méndez, Head of Health Data Protection Research and Innovation Office. The discussion emphasized the need for a framework of trust, transparency, and security to ensure responsible use of health data, essential for advancing research, innovation, and patient care.

The following panel addressed technological challenges. Moderated by Sergi Jufresa, Deputy Director of Information Systems at the hospital, it featured Antoni Fuentes, Head of the Information Processing Division at the Catalan Health Service; Álvaro Alonso, Advisory Member of the Directorate General of Digital Health and Information Systems for Spain’s National Health System; and Zaira Benítez. Panelists discussed EHDS deployment, system interoperability, and the need to guarantee information security and confidentiality. The session highlighted the importance of a shared technological strategy to advance a more efficient, sustainable, and patient-centered healthcare system.

The third edition of “Adding Data, Multiplying Knowledge” concluded with participants presenting the results of the role play. They shared insights from the user journey and discussed challenges and opportunities in the secondary health data access process under the EHDS. Two practical workshops followed the event:

InterSystems Workshop: IRIS Data Platform in the EHDS, featuring the use case: Integration of PREMs at Vall d’Hebron.

TriNetX Workshop: Generating high-impact clinical studies based on secondary use of data.