A new step in the fight against disease in Luxembourg
Ahmed, Unsplash
The Luxembourg Ministry of Health has responded to a parliamentary enquiry on the possible establishment of a national data register on cardiovascular and neurovascular diseases. Such a project aims to systematically collect data to analyse and develop strategies to improve health care. Such registries have already proven effective in other countries, such as Germany, where they contribute not only to prevention but also to speeding up diagnosis and treatment.
The national registry will help:
- Analyse and monitor the dynamics of disease spread.
- Develop more precise preventative measures and patient support programmes.
- Facilitate research and innovation in medicine.
However, the primary purpose remains the use of data for public health (secondary use) and research (tertiary use) rather than for direct use during emergency care.
Access to data by the emergency services (CGDIS) to improve response to emergencies is still an open question. The Minister emphasised that such data is rarely used "in real time". In emergency cases, rescuers rely on information from a patient's digital health record, which operates under separate rules.
At the moment, the government is working on the legislative framework for the launch of the registers. The plan covers not only cardiovascular diseases, but also potentially other important categories of diseases.
