Department of Health Ireland Leading the Way in European Digital Health Transformation: myHealth@myHands
The Department of Health Ireland is proud to coordinate the groundbreaking myHealth@myHands project, a key initiative advancing the European Health Data Space vision.
Bridging National Strategy with European Ambition
As coordinator of the myHealth@myHands project, the Department of Health Ireland is leveraging our national digital health expertise to lead a transformative EU-wide initiative that perfectly aligns with both our “Digital for Care” framework (2024-2030) and the European Health Data Space (EHDS) regulation.
This ambitious project addresses one of healthcare’s most pressing challenges: creating a unified data ecosystem that empowers citizens while ensuring seamless, secure access to health information across EU borders.
Department of Health Ireland’s Strategic Contribution
The Department of Health brings significant strategic advantages as project coordinator:
- Citizen-Centric Vision Alignment
Irelands “Digital for Care” framework’s first principle—”Patient as an Empowered Partner”—directly mirrors myHealth@myHands’ core mission. Both initiatives prioritise giving citizens control over their health data and enabling them to access their digital health records through secure mobile applications thereby supporting the EU Digital Decade’s e-Health target of 100% EU citizens having access to electronic health records by 2030.
According to the findings of the Health Literacy Population Survey 2019–2021 (HLS19), Ireland leads Europe in health literacy, with a strong emphasis on personal needs, inclusivity, and a seamless user experience. In addition to national achievements in citizen-centredness, the coordination team brings extensive global expertise in people-centred health services, complemented by a human touch. Notably, one coordinator previously served as Global Director of Health Experience Research at a leading international market research agency.
The workings and learnings from the correlated EU and national objectives to make this principle a reality will be maximised to the full extent by the project coordinators during the delivery of the myHealth@myHands project.
- Building on previous EU projects’ success:
One of our coordinators brings hugely valuable experience from leading two key European digital health initiatives:
PATHeD (Enabling Patient Access to Their Health Data)
Through the coordinator’s leadership of PATHeD, we developed robust frameworks for sustainable health value creation, establishing a citizen-centred architecture that balances innovation with privacy while building collaborative networks across European healthcare stakeholders and creating methodologies to measure and evaluate digital health value.
POTENTIAL (Use Case 6 – ePrescription)
As leader of the ePrescription use case within the POTENTIAL large-scale pilot, we gained practical expertise implementing cross-border health services using the European Digital Identity Wallet, developing the technical capacity for accessing health data via the wallet across borders.
The continuity of leadership from these successful initiatives to myHealth@myHands ensures that hard-won lessons and established relationships will accelerate implementation and reduce risks. Our coordination team brings not just theoretical knowledge but practical experience in navigating the complex technical, regulatory, and organisational challenges of cross-border digital health initiatives.
- European Governance Leadership:
A unique strength our coordination team brings is exceptional European governance experience, with one coordinator serving a third term as Chair of the MyHealth@EU eHealth Member States Expert Group (eHMSEG). This distinguished leadership role provides key insights into cross-border health data exchange governance, established relationships with digital health leaders across all EU Member States, and intimate knowledge of EU decision-making processes—ensuring myHealth@myHands benefits from comprehensive understanding of Member States’ priorities and technical capabilities while navigating complex pathways with efficiency and credibility required to deliver the project.
Delivering on EHDS Objectives
myHealth@myHands directly advances key EHDS priorities:
- Citizen Data Control: Empowering individuals to access and share their health data across borders.
- Interoperability: Ensuring health information can flow seamlessly between different systems and countries.
- Privacy and Security: Implementing robust governance frameworks that protect sensitive health information.
- Healthcare Improvement: Using digital tools to enhance care quality and patient outcomes.
- Considerable EU Project Coordination and Expertise
The myHealth@myHands project benefits immensely from our coordination team’s extensive EU project management experience. One key team member brings an impressive 13-year track record coordinating Ireland’s involvement in EU health initiatives, having not only led Ireland’s participation but also successfully managed critical work packages at the European level. As the Department of Health Ireland’s primary contact point for EU health projects, this coordinator has facilitated numerous Irish organizations’ participation in European initiatives, building an extensive network of relationships and deep institutional knowledge of EU funding mechanisms, reporting requirements, and cross-border collaboration frameworks. This wealth of experience ensures myHealth@myHands will be managed with exceptional efficiency, compliance, and strategic vision.
A Coordinated Approach to Digital Health Transformation
As project coordinator, the Department of Health Ireland is implementing a governance structure that ensures all stakeholders—from citizens and patients to healthcare professionals, industry partners to academic institutions—have meaningful input into the development process.
Our work packages are strategically designed to address every aspect of this complex initiative, from technical infrastructure and user interface design to ethical considerations and sustainable health value delivery to all European citizens.
Looking Forward
By 2030, myHealth@myHands will help realize the vision outlined in both Ireland’s Digital for Care framework and the European Health Data Space: a connected health ecosystem where citizens can securely access their health information anywhere in Europe, share it with healthcare providers when needed, and maintain control over their personal data.
The Department of Health Ireland is proud to lead this transformative initiative that will improve healthcare accessibility, enhance patient empowerment, and create more efficient, responsive health systems across the European Union.
The myHealth@myHands project represents a significant step toward achieving the digital health objectives outlined in Ireland’s Digital for Care framework and the European Health Data Space regulation, demonstrating Ireland’s commitment to leading digital innovation in healthcare at both national and European levels.
Links
Bluesky channel: https://bsky.app/profile/myhealthmyhands.bsky.social
LinkedIn channel: https://www.linkedin.com/company/myhealthmyhands-project/
Instagram channel: https://www.instagram.com/myhealthmyhands_project/
Keywords
eHealth, Digital Transformation, Patient Empowerment, Digital for Care, EHDS, Digital Decade
