Healthcare business intelligence specialist Ardentia has introduced a pseudonymisation tool, designed to help NHS Trusts safely undertake secondary use of patient data and meet legal guidelines.
To meet the requirements set by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), all NHS Commissioners and providers of NHS commissioned care are required to complete the implementation of pseudonymisation by March 2011. Ardentia's latest solution has been developed to support Trusts during this transition, facilitating the pseudonymisation of confidential data for secondary business use.
The tool easily integrates with Ardentia's data warehouse as well as other Microsoft SQL data warehouses, meaning it can be used by a majority of Trusts to help implement the necessary changes and avoid ICO penalties.
Steve Taylor, sales & marketing manager at Ardentia said: "With all Trusts responsible for pseudonymising data not involved in the direct delivery of care by March 2011, it's vital they have in place an effective strategy to support this transition. We have developed the pseudonymisation tool to help NHS Trusts during this change, helping them to meet the legal requirements and avoid incurring penalties.
"The solution lets Trusts generate pseudonyms to remove key identifiers that may associate a treatment pathway with a particular individual, upholding patient confidentiality and meeting the requirement set out by the ICO. The software is also compatible with Microsoft SQL Server, which means Trusts can use the tool without having to purchase other Ardentia solutions."
The pseudonymisation tool allows Trusts to configure pseudonyms to be specific to an organisation, a group of users, or an individual, and ensures that only authorised personnel have access to identifiable data.
The solution operates on the Microsoft SQL Server Platform and can be integrated into Ardentia's HealthWare data warehouse as well as other Microsoft SQL Server 2008 (Enterprise edition) release 2 deployments.
About Ardentia
Ardentia is the leading dedicated supplier of healthcare solutions in the UK. We work at every level of the health service, including Trusts and PCTs among our clients, as well as SHAs and National organisations. This means that our team has unrivalled experience in delivering highly effective business information services to healthcare organisations.
Our aim is to provide those responsible for healthcare, whether they are managers or clinicians, the tools they need for evidence-based management.
That is the best way to ensure that healthcare is delivered to the highest standards of quality and as cost-effectively as possible.