HELT TALKS

What are the 'HELT Talks' ?

HELT stands for Health, Law, and Technology – three broad subject areas that intersect each other in discourses around improving quality and access to health care, or advancing medical research beyond the state-of-the-art. Following on the success of the HELT Symposium, our annual flagship event which brings together representatives from the academia, industry, research organisations, healthcare professionals and policymakers, the HELT Talks was conceived as a year-round (monthly) event, providing a dynamic platform for thought-provoking discussions and stimulating debates on the future of digital health and care, through the prism of regulatory responses and relevant policy initiatives.

What is the typical format of a session at HELT Talks?

HELT Talks sessions are typically divided into two parts. In the first part, each speaker gives a presentation on a specific topic, touching upon particular challenges and open issues around the integration of technology in the realm of health care that require delving into legal and regulatory frameworks. The second part of the session aims at encouraging a deeper level of reflection on the topic under discussion, through organic conversations between the speakers and the audience.

What kind of topics are covered at HELT Talks?

HELT Talks cover a breadth of topics on law, health and technology, ranging from legal challenges for the use of health data and regulatory issues concerning advanced medical technology, to the use of artificial intelligence in medicine, data governance and data extraterritoriality in health care.

TALK of the Month

9 May 2025 | 13.00 - 15.00

Data Quality in the Digital Health Era

As digital technologies continue to transform healthcare, the importance of data quality has gained increasing attention. In this context, health data quality is more than a technical concern—it is a crucial element that impacts clinical decision-making, patient safety, public health outcomes, and the effectiveness of research and policymaking.

High-quality data—accurate, complete, and reliable—is essential for enabling trustworthy analytics, supporting evidence-based decisions, and ensuring efficient healthcare delivery. It is also a prerequisite for the development of safe and effective AI systems in health. In contrast, low-quality data can result in biased algorithms, incorrect conclusions, flawed policies, and wasted resources—potentially putting patient well-being at risk.

The concept of data quality is multidimensional and often purpose-dependent, posing challenges for legal and regulatory frameworks. Can such a dynamic and context-sensitive notion be meaningfully regulated? How can legal instruments define and enforce standards of data quality? In recent years, EU legislation has increasingly incorporated data quality considerations—from the principle of accuracy under the GDPR to the data governance requirements for high-risk AI systems in the AI Act (Article 10). Most recently, the European Health Data Space (EHDS) regulation introduces a transparency mechanism between health data holders and secondary data users through the “Data Quality and Utility Label” (Article 78).

This session of HELT Talks will explore the evolving role of data quality in the secondary use of health data, with a particular focus on the legal, regulatory, and practical implications of the data quality and utility framework established under the EHDS. The session will bring together experts to reflect on how law, policy, and governance can support meaningful standards of data quality in health, and what this means for research, innovation, trust, and public value in the digital age.

Speakers

Mr. Claudio Proietti Mercuri

Sciensano

Claudio Proietti Mercuri is a Data Analyst at Sciensano, Belgium’s national public health institute. He leads Work Package 2 of the EU-funded QUANTUM project, intended to design and develop a tool to assess the quality, utility, and maturity of health data within the European Health Data Space (EHDS). Claudio is also involved in the SHAIPED project, which aims to streamline the development and deployment of AI-based medical device solutions by supporting Health Data Access Bodies (HDABs). He holds two Master’s degrees from Maastricht University—one in Financial Economics and one in Business Intelligence. With a strong interest in applying data analytics to the public sector, Claudio has previously worked with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), contributing to data-driven decision-making for global humanitarian efforts. He also co-authored a research paper on word embedding techniques, reflecting his academic interest in natural language processing. Claudio is passionate about using data for the greater good, especially in health and international development contexts.