The report was one of several stemming from a 2006 study on “Creating an Innovative Europe” that targeted development of innovation-friendly markets in the EU that have high economic and social value.
It specifically mentioned the importance of information technology in tackling challenges within the EU health care sector.
The eHealth report, “Accelerating the Development of the eHealth Market in Europe”, said the European eHealth industry already has a leading position in a number of emerging fields such as personalized health systems, medical equipment and several sectors of integrated eHealth solutions.
The report was sponsored by the European Commission’s Information Society and Media Directorate.
Telemedicine and home care are the segments with the greatest potential for financial and clinical impact, the report stated, and are due for “immediate explosion.” The market in areas such as general practitioner and pharmacy information systems, however, is more dependent on national and regional factors.
The report identified the main challenges to expansion of the eHealth market in the EU as market fragmentation and lack of interoperability, lack of legal certainty, insufficient availability of financial support and concerns over procurement.
The main output of the report was a set of specific policy recommendations for attacking these challenges that would launch a series of activities between 2008 and 2010.
As a sector, eHealth benefits from directed research and technology development, but it also triggers such development, the report said. As such, eHealth is a prime example of “business driving technology,” and its expansion would make Europe a more competitive economy and reduce barriers to the introduction of new information and communication technologies.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Brian Robinson
Quelle/Source: Government Health IT, 21.01.2008
