The Secur-e-Health project developed a concept that enables AI to be used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases without compromising the protection of sensitive patient data.
“The study shows that AI tools can be built for healthcare in a way that respects patient privacy at every stage of care,” says Mika Hilvo, Research Team Leader at VTT and national coordinator of the project. “Our work brings together the secure data use, clinical needs and modern AI methods in a way that can support better care in the future.”
“Trust is the cornerstone of modern digital healthcare. This project demonstrates that protecting privacy and cutting-edge AI methods are not mutually exclusive, but can be seamlessly integrated into the patient care pathway from prevention to monitoring. When data can move and learn securely across organisational boundaries, we create a foundation for more effective care and better patient safety,” states Risto Kaikkonen, Director, Solita Health.
In the prevention-focused part of the work, the research team tested methods for training AI models using health data stored in different locations, without the data needing to be transferred to a single centralised location. This enables collaboration between organisations while helping to keep patient data better protected. The results showed that models trained using privacy-preserving federated learning can perform as well as models trained using traditional machine learning methods.
For patients requiring continuous care, the researchers created a secure process for obtaining treatment consent, collecting ECG monitoring data, combining data from different systems, and reviewing patient information to support clinicians. The system was designed so that patient data can be combined securely without revealing identity information more widely than necessary.
The solution addresses one of the key challenges in modern healthcare: how to make use of AI when medical data is distributed across several different systems and must be handled with great care. By combining secure data use, patient consent and AI-based support tools, the researchers created a foundation that can help develop the digital health services of the future.
The three-year Secur-e-Health research project ended at the end of 2025 and involved researchers from five countries. VTT coordinated the Finnish research consortium, which included Bittium, CSIT Finland, Mediconsult, Nordic Healthcare Group, Solita and Success Clinic. In Finland, the project was funded by Business Finland.
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Privacy preserving solution using AI for cardiovascular care
Further information
- VTT, Mika Hilvo, Research Team Leader, Project National Coordinator, [email protected], +358 50 534 7782
- Solita Oy, Tuomas Granlund, RegOps Development Director, [email protected], +358 50 432 0804
- Solita Oy, Manu Setälä, Head of Research, [email protected], +358 50 557 7910