Future of Finnish secondary use services: Key takeaways from FinHITS webinar

Last week, Findata held a FinHITS webinar to share updates on the progress and plans for advancing secondary use services in Finland. The event featured presentations from project leads and offered participants a first-hand look at the developments underway.

During the session, leaders of the work packages presented the development plans of each of FinHITS’ key service areas.

Findata’s services

We are enhancing Findata’s service desk to meet the growing demand, and needs of international applicants. Upcoming improvements include application clinics for international applicants, guided videos, appointment advice, a chatbot, and a more efficient application assistant.

In our efforts to improve Findata’s e-service, we’re introducing features such as structured extraction descriptions based on the data in the national dataset catalogue, more detailed status updates for applications and data deliveries and improved communication channel between the applicant, Findata and data controllers. The improved service meets the EHDS requirements and can also be considered as a leap from electronic documents to truly digital permits.

FinHITS also focuses on enhancing the performance and security of the secure processing environment (SPE). Key improvements include developing dynamic GPU capabilities, enabling large data transfers, refining license and version management, and creating an anonymisation spot-check tool. Additionally, we are exploring how data from federated analyses can be securely shared between SPEs.

Data quality

To improve the national dataset catalogue, we are enhancing its usability for both national and international users. This includes a better search function, improved data description quality, English descriptions, and integration with Findata’s e-service.

To advance data quality, we’re establishing a feedback channel for data quality issues, refining internal processes, promoting the use of standardized data models, and preparing guidance on EHDS-related quality labeling.

Cross-border use

To prepare for the implementation of the EHDS, we’re working on connecting to cross-border data transfer solutions and integrating Findata’s e-service and national dataset catalogue with the HealthData@EU infrastructure. This will involve using the eDelivery solution to create a secure network for transferring documents and data across nodes.

Participate in testing the improved services

To ensure these services meet user needs, we are organising stakeholder events for each service. These events will be held as webinars or hybrid sessions, available in both Finnish and English. It’s an excellent opportunity for users to provide feedback and help refine the services, ensuring they are efficient and user-friendly.

The first session, focusing on service desk improvements, will take place on February 5, 2025, in English. Registration will open soon on Findata’s website.

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Health and Digital Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.