Hospital.Help

Berlin – Louisa Specht-Riemenschneider, who was appointed today by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier as the new Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI), wants to achieve a solution-oriented approach to the issue of data protection.

“During my term in office, I will focus in particular on the areas of health, artificial intelligence and security,” announced Specht-Riemenschneider. Unfortunately, especially in the health sector, data protection and digitization or data usage are often played off against each other – although digital solutions are crucial for better health care.

She said she wanted to campaign for data protection that clearly shows red lines, but offers constructive solutions below these red lines. Specht-Riemenschneider spoke of a “corridor of the possible”. In order to enable digitization that is sensitive to fundamental rights, she wanted to enter into dialogue with society, legislators, researchers and business even earlier and more intensively. Where there are problems, she offers a “fresh start”.

Particularly when it comes to digitization in medical care, it is “extremely important to consider data protection from the outset,” as particularly sensitive, personal data is processed, which also offers particular potential for attack. The fundamental rights of those affected must be comprehensively protected, while at the same time a high degree of functionality of the systems must not be prevented.

Specht-Riemenschneider referred to the electronic patient file (ePA) as an example. The success of the digital file depends crucially on a successful balance between a high level of data protection and good functionality – this is the only way to keep patients and doctors on board in the long term. If the aim is to achieve the greatest possible acceptance, there should be no doubt about data protection.

Regarding her first experiences of working with colleagues from the state data protection authorities, Specht-Riemenschneider said that she had noticed a “very constructive working atmosphere” at the summer retreat last weekend in Speyer.

In this context, she stressed that the data protection authorities could work together much more effectively if the policy of the Data Protection Conference (DSK), the body of the independent German data protection supervisory authorities at federal and state level, made binding majority decisions legally possible. In addition, a DSK office could further strengthen the ability to act. © aha/aerzteblatt.de