[Are medical professionals allowed to share data from patient health records with clinical quality registries in the Netherlands?]

This study examines, from a legal standpoint, the conditions under which patient data may be shared and processed by clinical quality registries in the Netherlands and investigates the potential impact of the proposed changes of the Healthcare Quality, Complaints and Disputes Act (WKKGZ) on these practices. Healthcare providers in the Netherlands may share patient data with clinical quality registries to measure and improve care quality, provided they have explicit patient consent or a legal basis. While there is general consensus within the field, legal ambiguity remains regarding processing data without explicit consent. Proposed changes to the WKKGZ would create an explicit legal basis for clinical quality registries to collect and process patient data without explicit consent, aiming to improve to improve the quality of care for the greater public interest.