eHealth

eHealth is a concept that covers information and communication technology tools and services for health. Whether eHealth tools are used behind the scenes by healthcare professionals, or directly by patients, they play a significant role in improving the health of European citizens.

The eHealth Unit of the European Commission (DG Information Society and Media, called DG INFSO) started the cooperation with HOPE in this new area of HOPE activities. HOPE was asked in particular by the European Commission to join the eHealth Stakeholders’ Group, a newly expert group set up in December 2005 by the European Commission, in order to support and enhance work being done on eHealth interoperability. The eHealth Stakeholders’ Group has now become the eHealth User Stakeholders' Group and gathers key decision-makers and leaders from health professional and hospital representatives, as well as patients and citizens.

Three elements are central to HOPE activity in this field.

• Continuity of care, the core of the HOPE Exchange Programme 2008 with the topic “Improving continuity of care: the role of IT” and continued to be in the following years
  
  
• Interoperability, for which HOPE joined the eHealth Joint Action and thematic network
  
  
• Telehealth in support of integrated care, materialised by a 2011 campaign

Activities

Hospitals in the 27
EU Member States

Quality of care

Human resources

Public health

Hospital, health care
and internal market

e-Health
The role of IT
Interoperability
Telehealth

Cross-border
co-operation

Green hospitals

Networking