The importance of structuring clinical data in hospitals

Doctor visits, emergency reports, or lab tests generate what is known as real-world data (real-world data). real-world data, RWD), which reflect how diseases are diagnosed, experienced, and treated on a daily basis and are used to approve new drugs, among other things. Although this information is increasingly in demand by researchers, hospitals, and the pharmaceutical industry, much of this data is not utilized as it should be because it is not prepared. The Catalan startup IOMED has developed a technology capable of processing and structuring all this clinical information generated in hospitals, making it accessible, understandable, and reusable.

The company was co-founded by Gabriel Maeztu, currently Chief Technology Officer, when, during research, he realized the need to optimize the way clinical data was collected. It was in 2016 that the company developed the technology. One of IOMED's main goals is to contribute to improving patient care by helping hospitals conduct internal analysis or prepare for the European Health Data Area (EEDS), a common European Union space for facilitating access to healthcare data. To this end, the company uses natural language processing (NLP), a branch of artificial intelligence (AI) that allows machines to understand human language and standardize information. "In our case, we use it to analyze notes written by healthcare professionals, which are often free and unstructured," explains Maeztu.

Furthermore, IOMED also makes this data interoperable, allowing different medical centers to connect with each other, as well as with industry and research. This is possible thanks to the creation of its own platform, through which "any authorized user can request the participation of hospitals in our network in research projects," explains the technology director. Once an agreement has been reached, the data is prepared and delivered through this same platform. Furthermore, the portal facilitated the monitoring of already marketed drugs that could cause adverse reactions in patients.

In 2020, following its successful performance in Barcelona, ​​the company expanded across Spain. Later, in 2024, it underwent a process of internationalization, with entry into the Nordic countries and the implementation of the technology in France, Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom. These expansions have been possible thanks to the use of the international clinical data standardization model, or Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP CDM), which allows clinical data from different hospitals and countries to be interpreted in a homogeneous, anonymous, and comparable manner worldwide.

IOMED has participated in more than 40 research projects and receives funding to facilitate data access for these projects, which already have allocated funding, whether public or private. The company charges a percentage proportional to the project budget. "Once the center's data is structured, the hospital can continue using it for other internal purposes," explains Maeztu. If the medical center needs support in preparing or activating this data, IOMED also offers specific services for this purpose. The company, located in the Sant Pau Art Nouveau complex, received initial funding from the European Space Agency and has also raised approximately €12.5 million in three rounds of funding.

Currently, the team is led by CEO Rohit Mistry and is made up of more than 30 professionals with technological, medical, research, and business profiles. To date, they have recruited more than 50 strategic partners. Thus, their growth and internationalization strategy is based on continuing to thrive on a European scale, through collaborations with hospitals and research institutions, such as Oslo Hospital and the Karolinska Institute. They also emphasize that they aim to play an important role in the implementation of the European Health Data Space (EHDS), a regulation that seeks to establish a common framework for the future use and exchange of electronic health data in the EU. Gabriel Maeztu emphasizes that the values that define IOMED are "transparency, respect for privacy, and a constant desire to have a positive impact on the healthcare system."