Implementing a Nordic-Baltic Federated Health Data Network: A Case Report

Abstract

Centralized collection and processing of healthcare data across national borders pose significant challenges, including privacy concerns, data heterogeneity, and legal barriers. To study some of these challenges, we formed an interdisciplinary consortium to develop a federated health data network, comprised of six institutions across five countries, to facilitate Nordic-Baltic cooperation on secondary use of health data. The objective of this report is to offer early insights into our experiences developing this network. We employed a mixed-methods approach, combining both experimental design and implementation science to assess the factors influencing the implementation of our network. Technically, our experiments indicate that the network functions without significant performance degradation compared to centralized simulation. While use of interdisciplinary approaches holds a potential to solve challenges associated with establishing such collaborative networks, our findings turn the spotlight on the uncertain regulatory landscape playing catch up and the significant operational costs.