The European Centre for the Study of Ethics, Law and Governance in Health Information Technology (ECELGHIT), is a not-for-profit virtual centre with an overarching mission, to provide education/training, policy advice and development, and conduct research on ethical, legal and governance issues related to the use of health information technology as they affect clinical care, biomedical research and public health surveillance among a wider range of health-related topics.
The Centre brings together academics, policy makers, experts and professional practitioners within Europe and beyond, from various disciplines including ethics, law, computing, information systems and health. The inter-disciplinary/professional nature of the Centre provides a unique approach to: acting as a trusted brokerage and think-tank, influencing policy and lobbying, inter-cultural bridge-building, offering practical support, and providing teaching and training.
In all its aspects, the use of health information technology and research into its future development, is growing rapidly. Society is becoming increasingly alert to the challenges faced ethically, legally, socially and in terms of governance on how to use the range of technologies involved, and what the parameters are to their study as well as their use in research. There is therefore a need for the inter-disciplinary/professional approach provided by ECELGHIT, to understand and provide solutions for the complex challenges arising from the use of health information technology in Europe and beyond.
The main activities of the centre include:
- Academic and research activities
- Education and training
- Curriculum development/outreach
- Policy and development advice