Epidemiological research needs access to data

Data protection laws and their implementation have led to serious restrictions on access to personal data for research purposes. This seriously affects the development of social medicine and public health by making effective prevention of illness, and rational planning of health services, and their evaluation impossible in many instances. The conflict between people's need for knowledge about prevention and cure of illness and the control over personal data must be solved. Therefore, it is necessary to change the laws and ensure access to data for research use in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the European Science Foundation.