Secure exchange of medical data: requirements and solutions

It is now common to access and to exchange data through computer networks. The major applications used are Web access and, e-mail. But while there is no security concern when accessing classical or anonymous data, the exchange of sensitive data (e.g. patient-related information) is subject to legal constraints. This paper summarizes the current legal obligations in Switzerland and presents state of the art techniques for applying the legal rules. A commercial implementation in Switzerland is taken as illustration.