How to achieve secure environments for information systems in medicine

The efficiency of modern health care relies more and more upon a computerized infrastructure. Open distributed IT-systems have started to bring professionals together from all around the world. Multimedia applications integrate formerly separated functionalities. On the one hand, easy processing and communication of images, sounds, and texts will help to represent illnesses and diseases holistically. But, on the other hand, such technology may compromise the privacy of patients, and may subvert the accountability and professional secrecy of health care professionals. The European Union has initiated a multi-disciplinary project to come up with practical guidelines on how to achieve a Secure Environment for Information Systems in MEDicine (SEISMED). It has taken into account the traditional and proven principles of health care data processing, the various legislations within the EU, the enormous and subtle risks of health care IT-systems, and the cost of changing existing technology.