1- Scientific context and project objectives

The circular DGS/DH/AFS No. 97/816 of 24 December 1997 on the computerisation of labile blood product traceability defines the organisational principles and assistance and implementation procedures for regional follow-up projects of haemovigilance. The traceability of labile blood products involves the circulation of information in the form of standardised computer messages between regional blood distribution establishments and hospitals ensuring that the patients receive them. Auvergne receives labile blood products from EFSAuLo, the French Blood Establishment for Auvergne-Loire, which is based in Saint-Etienne (Loire) and whose main branches are located in Clermont-Ferrand and the main towns in Auvergne.
Since all of the region’s hospitals are connected to the Auverdata network, this forms EDITAL – Exchange of Computer Data on Transfusion in Auvergne-Loire – which populates a nominative database tracing the haemovigilance of every blood-transfusion patient in the 5 départements (French counties) making up the Auvergne-Loire inter-region.
The network was accredited by the French Health Products Safety Agency (Afssaps) on 18 November 2004.
The Jean Perrin Centre is the coordinating establishment.

2- Project description

The EDITAL database, declared to the French Data Protection Authority (Cnil), is currently hosted by the Saint-Etienne blood establishment for practical reasons. The project involves duplicating it in Auvergne to make it accessible to all healthcare professionals for consultation and then expanding it to include biological and medical data.

3- Public or controlled use

Accessibility to the database is planned for both named users, with the address of hospital practitioners (security in this case will be ensured by the Professional Health Card) and anonymous use for genetic studies in particular. In this case, the haemovigilance database may be interfaced with other databases.

4- Expected results

Such a base will make it possible to consolidate collaborative medical work and form a basis for research work.
The security requirement – in terms of confidentiality, data encryption, constant accessibility to data – that it represents is a new IT “challenge” for Auvergne. The work carried out will be a reference for how the shared health record is used.
All the follow-up networks of chronic diseases – diabetes, cancer, addictions – need regular monitoring of biological parameters, established either in hospitals or by private medical analysis laboratories. Such a network may be open to medical and biological analysis laboratories in Auvergne and be used to centralise results.

The creation of this medical base for Auvergne will pave the way for studies proposed by the Cancéropole Auvergne – Lyon - Rhône-Alpes, especially since the Loire département links the two regions together.

LifeGrid, the regional information system