According to a new report from consults Ovum, Australia's national level eHelath strategy development has slowed to a crawl.
The report's author, Ovum’s public sector research director Dr Steve Hodgkinson says the good practical work being done by state and federal health authorities and by individual health care providers was being stymied by the lack of national leadership.
"The health sector shouldn’t hold its breath waiting for something that is well lodged in the 'too hard' basket. Instead it should focus on stimulating and coordinating local innovation in eHealth," Hodgkinson said.
"The problem is that as a nation we don’t seem to have the wit necessary to agree a national approach – despite many years of discussions. Of course it is complex, and progress is being made, but the national eHealth strategy remains very much on a slow burning fuse," he said.
For technology vendors seeking to sell into the eHealth sector market, Hodgkinson has some sobering advice: Stop waithing for the mythical eHealth gravy train to arrive – your better off selling into state and local initiatives.
"That progress is slow because of the complexity of all of the issues and in providing practical and useful leadership in getting all the various participants in the sector to cooperate and move forward toward a more interoperable future," Hodgkinson told iTWire.
"It’s a matter of the right degree of leadership at a national level, combined with pragmatic strategies and providing appropriate funding to get those participants to play nicely together."
The report, titled "National eHealth strategy progress in Australia," is a summary of the 'state of the nation' with regard to national eHealth strategies and initiatives.
Hodgkinson says he is not particularly being critical of the current government, merely saying that the excruciating progress in eHealth represents more of the same the sector has seen over the past 10 years or more.
In order to accelerate the eHealth in this country, the report argues the national health leadership needs to "to agree on the barest minimum set of standards and interoperability frameworks which would create a more interoperable future while not interfering with the progress and momentum of initiatives throughout the country."
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Autor(en)/Author(s): James Riley
Quelle/Source: iTWire, 02.02.2010
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