E-PIX

E-PIX performs privacy-preserving record linkage and pseudonymisation to enable integration of multi-site clinical and COVID-19 datasets within the Network of University Medicine's COVID-19 Data Exchange Platform (CODEX).

Key Features:

• Federated Trusted Third Party (fTTP): Implements a federated trusted third party model to enable pseudonymised merging of medical data across multiple sites while protecting personal identifiers.
• Privacy-Preserving Record Linkage: Uses Bloom filters as a cryptographic technique to compare pseudonymised person-identifying information without revealing sensitive identifiers.
• Pseudonymisation and Re-pseudonymisation: Supports pseudonymisation and re-pseudonymisation during data transfer to CODEX to maintain data security across linkage and exchange steps.
• Interoperability with FHIR Standards: Specifies and implements interfaces in accordance with Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standards for system integration and data exchange.
• Integration with Existing Identity Management: Extends identity management systems such as E-PIX® to generate Bloom filters from person-identifying information for secure multi-site linkage.

Scientific Applications:

• Federated pandemic data integration: Enables large-scale integration of medical datasets across university hospitals for collaborative pandemic research within the CODEX network.
• COVID-19 clinical and epidemiological analyses: Facilitates secure linkage of records to support analyses of disease patterns, treatment efficacy, and public health responses in COVID-19 research.

Methodology:

Conceptual and technical implementation phases included modeling processes necessary for data delivery, identifying communication relationships, specifying and developing FHIR-compliant interfaces, and validating functionality via a demonstrator that connected two data integration centers.