The legal basis for processing data in our projects is provided by GDPR article 9.2(h), which covers projects designed to improve "the management of health or social care systems and services."

The hospital is the data controller, while LOGEX acts as the data processor, ensuring data is handled according to the legal and ethical guidelines.

Ethical approval might be necessary in specific cases and is dependent on local guidance and regulations. The focus of the observatory is to improve healthcare and outcomes for participating hospitals, which means ethical approval is not required in certain countries or specific situations.

Hospitals remain the owners of their data at all times. Only anonymous population data may be shared with third parties, and LOGEX strictly follows local regulations regarding cross-border data transfers.

Traditional clinical registries often focus on a single disease within a specific population, often limited by geographic or national boundaries. While they provide valuable insights, they may not capture the full complexity of multi-disease conditions like IMIDs, where patients often experience multiple related conditions. The IMID Observatory, by contrast, gathers continuous, real-world data from a broad network of hospitals across different countries, offering a more comprehensive view of patient care. This dynamic, international data collection allows for a deeper understanding of how different IMIDs, such as psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, may intersect in real-world clinical settings.

Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are both immune-mediated diseases, and there's a well-established link between the two. While psoriasis primarily affects the skin, in some patients, it can also progress to PsA, a condition where inflammation affects the joints. This is thought to occur due to shared underlying immune system mechanisms that drive both diseases. Around 30% of people with psoriasis eventually develop PsA, often starting with skin symptoms before joint pain appears. Understanding this progression is crucial for early detection and management, helping to improve patient outcomes by addressing both the skin and joint components of the disease. 

The IMID Observatory plays a pivotal role in expanding knowledge about the progression from psoriasis to psoriatic arthritis. By continuously tracking patient data across different treatment stages and departments, the Observatory provides valuable insights into how psoriasis patients develop PsA and how different treatment strategies impact both skin and joint outcomes. This dynamic, real-time data allows clinicians and researchers to better understand patient pathways and the effect of therapies, helping close knowledge gaps and improve treatment strategies for those at risk of developing PsA.

Psoriasis alone has in the EU over 16 different advanced systemic treatment options available, making it challenging to determine the most effective care pathways. The IMID Observatory tracks patient care not only for individual diseases but also how treatments impact patients with multiple IMIDs. This broader, patient-centered approach helps to uncover more nuanced insights into treatment effects, such as the sequencing of therapies and their impact on overall outcomes. By providing real-time, international data, the Observatory offers a more dynamic and in-depth perspective on care pathways compared to traditional, single-disease registries.