A report entitled 'Benchmarking ICT use among general practitioners in Europe', one of several EU pilots on eHealth indicators, shows that on average, 87% of European doctors use a computer. Furthermore, 80% of the practices in the 27 EU countries store administrative patient data electronically and computers can be found in 78% of consultation rooms.
However, continues the survey, "there is still room for improvement," notably regarding electronic networks connecting doctors' IT systems with other health actors, the electronic exchange and transfer of patient data and electronic interaction with patients.
The report, which draws on a survey involving some 7,000 general practitioners, points to huge variations in the use of ICT for health across Europe. The study, published on 25 April 2008, names Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden and the UK as "the European frontrunners" in eHealth use by doctors. On the other hand, there is "considerable room for improvement" in the use of eHealth in Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania. The other member states are considered to be a "large group of average performers".
Doctors were also surveyed on their general attitudes towards ICT and their perception of facilitators and barriers towards a wider uptake of eHealth. According to the results, EU doctors are "quite positive" about ICT's potential to improve the quality of healthcare services. As for boosting the further spread of eHealth, they think that the its inclusion in the curricula of medical education, more IT training for general practitioners and the existence of a clinical information network for all health actors could help.
The lack of IT support and training or the costs related to the procurement and maintenance of ICT are not seen as serious barriers to eHealth use, except in countries with low usage levels (Greece, Poland, Romania, Lithuania and Latvia).
According to the Commission, the use of eHealth applications by doctors has already improved healthcare in Europe through, for example, more efficient administration and shorter waiting times for patients. The report suggests doing even better and recommends that doctors try to make better use of ICT to offer services such as telemonitoring, electronic prescriptions and cross-border medical services.
The use of ICT in the health sector has been promoted by the Commission since the adoption, in 2004, of the EU eHealth Action Plan, which seeks to boost the creation of national eHealth infrastructure systems, electronic health records and patient summaries, as well as ensure their interoperability. eHealth is also part of the Lead Market Initiative (LMI) to boost innovation-rich goods and services.
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Quelle/Source: EurActiv, 28.04.2008
