ICT for better healthcare in Europe

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) play an essential role in supporting daily life in today's digital society. They are used everywhere now and play and important role in the delivery of better and more efficient healthcare services. This is how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are helping you, your doctor(s), your pharmacist and your hospital take better care of your health.
Thanks to eHealth, doctors can access patients’ medical records more easily, get immediate access to test results from the laboratory, and deliver prescriptions directly to pharmacists. Patients with heart problems can carry monitors which alert their doctor if their condition changes, yet allow them to continue with their daily business.

At EU level, the introduction of eHealth services is facilitating access to healthcare, whatever the geographical location is, thanks to innovative telemedicine and personal health systems. eHealth is also breaking down barriers, enabling health service providers (public authorities, hospitals) from different Member States to work more closely together. If a particular treatment can be provided to a patient more effectively in another country, eHealth systems make it simpler to organise and carry out treatment abroad. Suppliers of eHealth tools – such as databases for patient records, mobile monitors which transmit data automatically, or handling systems for patient call centres – also benefit from the development of a European market in the sector, which has enabled them to build a strong base from which they can tackle the global market.

European eHealth policy
eHealth features in the Digital Agenda for Europe adopted by the European Commission in May 2010. As well eHealth has an important role in the Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the application of patients‘ rights in cross-border healthcare (Article 14).
Under Pillar 7 ICT for Social Challenges, the Digital Agenda focuses on ICTs capability to reduce energy consumption, support ageing citizens' lives, revolutionises health services and deliver better public services. For more on the Digital Agenda and eHealth, please see "Digital Agenda for Europe: what would it do for me?".

eHealth is closely related to European policies on health, employment, regional development, research, innovation, industry and internal market.