IHE ITI De-Identification Handbook Draft Ready for Public Comment
zhang alain
We are pleased to inform you that the draft of the IHE ITI De-Identification Handbook is now available and ready for public comment, ahead of our upcoming F2F meeting next week.
The current draft can be accessed here:
https://build.fhir.org/ig/IHE/ITI.DeIdHandbook/branches/main/index.html
Summary of the De-Identification Handbook Update
The De-Identification Handbook provides a practical and structured approach for reducing individually identifiable information in healthcare data. It is intended for both IHE Profile editors and healthcare IT implementers, offering guidance across the full lifecycle of de-identification system design and operation.
Key highlights of the current draft include:
End-to-end, multi-stage process framework covering context analysis, data assessment, risk modeling, design, validation, and operational monitoring
Comprehensive treatment of privacy techniques, including de-identification, pseudonymization, and controlled re-linking mechanisms
Guidance tailored to different data types (structured data, free text, imaging), with associated transformation techniques and constraints
Emphasis on risk management, including threat modeling, residual risk assessment, and the principle that risk can be reduced but not fully eliminated
Operational and governance considerations, such as access control, auditing, encryption, and lifecycle data handling
Support for IHE profile authors, including standardized terminology, reusable checklists, and exemplar implementations to improve consistency and completeness
This draft represents an important step toward providing consistent, implementable guidance for privacy-preserving data sharing across healthcare use cases such as clinical research, public health, and education.
We encourage all participants to review the draft in advance of the F2F meeting and provide feedback during the public comment period.
We look forward to your input and discussion next week.
Best regards,