Report from consultation workshop on innovative ICT tools and telemedicine services available for download

European Commission and industry providers meet to discuss improved telemedicine services

Published: 06/16

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - (HealthTech Wire) - The European Commission has released the report from a consultation workshop on the potential directions to be taken in the deployment of telemedicine service across the European Union. The workshop, which took place at the European Parliament in Brussels in May of this year, was attended by high-level representatives of European industry and addressed key telemedicine issues such as teleradiology, home care and remote monitoring.

The aim of the workshop was for the European Commission and the European eHealth industry to find ways of overcoming perceived barriers in the deployment of telemedicine services and to discuss several possible policy options and solutions. The workshop identified various pressures on Europe's healthcare systems, including citizens’ expectations in terms of high-quality care, demographic changes which will see more people require prolonged care, and an increased prevalence in chronic diseases which will form a substantial part of overall healthcare costs. Furthermore, participants also discussed the challenges involved in continuing with a reactive model of healthcare delivery which only responds to health problems after the appearance of symptoms.

The workshop concluded that there are two principle challenges facing the European healthcare industry: firstly, how to provide high-quality and affordable care, and secondly how to do so in a way which is likely to bring about changes in the way that healthcare is delivered. Such potential changes might include: how to manage and transfer medical knowledge in clinical practices, with the emphases on such activities as remote monitoring and care (involving the continuity of care and the provision of health services outside hospitals); improving the efficiency of disease management (so that patients may be monitored over extensive periods of time, for example at home); improving the prevention and prediction of diseases (which could lead to a greater quality of life while also helping to avoid costly treatments and thus reduce healthcare costs); increasing the involvement of citizens and patients in healthcare processes.

The full report can be downloaded here: ec.europa.eu/information_society/newsroom/cf/itemdetail.cfm

This workshop is part of a series of consultations ahead of preparations for the Communication on Telemedicine and Chronic Disease Management to be launched in October 2008. A related report is available from the TeleHealth 2007 conference at ec.europa.eu/information_society/events/telehealth_2007/index_en.htm.

A final "eHealth users workshop", focusing on patients' needs and involving 18 associations of patients, took place in early June and the report will be available before the end of the month.