International Emergency Responses: Harmonizing Data Security and Protection Standards for Emergency Medical Teams

Emergency medical teams (EMTs) often face complex tasks during humanitarian medical interventions. These are often accompanied by complex challenges. One such example is medical documentation and the consequent processing of secure data. The gathered data contain sensitive personal and medical information and are thus confidential. This is problematic as entities outside of the EMT unit sometimes request (parts of) these data. Such entities could be local administrative and coordinating bodies, governmental agencies, or international organizations. The mentioned data serve as the cornerstone for later decision-making processes and interventions. Furthermore, regulations are in place that govern medical procedures. However, the protocols in place for managing and protecting health data are not defined. This leaves stakeholders, such as EMTs, with inherent uncertainties about data handling. Thus, there is a need for interdisciplinary discourse to find adequate solutions. EMTs must focus on establishing robust data protection mechanisms. These need to be resilient, even under severe operational constraints. Contrary to medical care, a standardized regulatory framework for data protection is absent. This allows for the existence of key players, such as the WHO (World Health Organization) and ministries. The legal permissibility for the future use of these sensitive data remains undefined. This raises questions about balancing information for retrospective analysis and the preservation of privacy rights. This article discusses governance structures during EMT operations, which outline codes of conduct (CoC) on data security and protection. Additionally, it will make recommendations for the practical implementation of these codes. The aim is to harmonize and standardize practices across the board.