From: Subject: EDI1E816 Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 10:37:12 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0010_01C3F6D4.5592F5A0"; type="text/html" X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1165 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0010_01C3F6D4.5592F5A0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://www.jrc.es/home/report/iptsreport/vol81/english/EDI1E816.htm EDI1E816

eHealth and the Ageing Society
Marcelino=20 Cabrera, IPTS

e-Health, the combined use of information society = technologies=20 (ISTs) in the health sector, is moving up health policy agendas = at the=20 European, national and regional levels. Productivity gains from the = optimization=20 of healthcare systems and achieving cost reductions are prime goals, = while=20 healthcare providers, health insurance organizations and politicians at = all=20 levels (EU, national, regional) are drawing up plans to support = healthcare by=20 means of the application of modern ISTs. In particular, EU policy has = set up=20 specific action plans (eEurope2002 and eEurope20051)=20 to contribute to the development of eHealth across the EU and thereby = achieve=20 some of the ambitious goals of the Lisbon strategy decided at the = European Council in Lisbon in March 20002.

eHealth is an empowering tool for European citizens = and, in the=20 context of an ageing society, for active independent living by older = people in=20 an enlarged European Union with considerable income disparities and=20 heterogeneous healthcare systems. In this Special Issue, the topics = discussed=20 are in one way or another related to the context of an ageing society, = while=20 highlighting bottlenecks and prominent technological trends that need = policy=20 attention.

Health and social care for the elderly can be = provided with new=20 services based on appropriate ISTs, such as so-called "independent = living"=20 services. However, policy-related technological and organizational = aspects of=20 strategic plans are key factors for success in satisfying the real needs = of the=20 elderly. The cost-effectiveness of new assistive technologies enabled by = mobile=20 and "ambient" systems, wearable and embedded devices, as well as new = business=20 and services provision models, will need to be assessed.

The case of emerging mHealth services (mobile health) = is=20 illustrative for its potential impacts on the financial and liability = schemas=20 since insurance systems may have to accommodate new expenses as a result = of=20 services delivered by mobile phone providers. Also, mHealth services = will have=20 implications for the provision of care itself, resulting in changing = paradigms=20 for healthcare professionals and patient-clinician relationships.

When combined with location data processing, mobile = terminals=20 will improve eHealth possibilities. Clearly these services will rely not = only on=20 location information, but also on the mobility of the terminals. = However, before=20 widespread use can be made of location-based healthcare services, a = number of=20 privacy issues will have to be addressed. The potential large-scale = tracking of=20 ordinary citizens (whether deliberate or incidental) will certainly = raise=20 ethical concerns that could cause delays in the deployment of these = services,=20 thus postponing the realization of their benefits.

The privacy issue can be extended to what it is = agreed will=20 become the central piece of information around which many = citizen-oriented=20 eHealth applications will be developed, i.e. the electronic health = record (EHR).=20 With the EHR, it will be possible to enable access to relevant = information,=20 collaboration between healthcare providers and telecare more = effectively.=20 However, confidentiality and privacy are critical issues that will need=20 widespread consensus among all stakeholders (public authorities, medical = professionals and citizens). The EHR, as the cornerstone of many = developments in=20 this field, undoubtedly deserves focused and coordinated actions at all = levels,=20 including EU-level.

One important, but often under-emphasized, = prerequisite for the=20 introduction of new ISTs in the health sector is the acquisition of new = types of=20 skills by citizens, patients, doctors, nurses and other healthcare=20 professionals. Without human resource development through appropriate = education=20 and training, healthcare faces major obstacles to the crucial = knowledge-sharing=20 process. This is particularly relevant considering the under-investment = in=20 training and education that is endemic in the health sector.

The above-mentioned topics =96and there are many = others not=20 discussed here due to space limitations- suffice to give an idea of the=20 challenges that eHealth raises, particularly for time-pressed = policy-makers, who=20 need to grasp at a glance the various scientific and technological, = economic,=20 political and social dimensions. In this context, roadmaps are valuable = ways of=20 presenting and analysing the causal and temporal relations between = successive or=20 parallel steps. Equally valuable are the results from existing foresight = exercises. These results can help to gain a better understanding of the = expected=20 evolution of the demand side of eHealth during the next two decades.=20

Contact

Marcelino Cabrera, IPTS

Tel.: +34 95 448 83 62, fax: +34 95 448 83 39, e-mail: marcelino.cabrera@jrc.es<= /A>

Notes

1. http://europa.eu.int/information_society/eeurope/2005/index_en.htm<= /U>

2. European Council meeting in Lisbon set an ambitious objective for = Europe=20 to become the most competitive and dynamic economy in the world. To = achieve=20 this, the Council later endorsed the above mentioned action plan = entitled=20 "eEurope =96 An Information Society for All".

Contents=20 Report 81

About The=20 IPTS Report

Subscriptio= ns

E-Mail: ipts_secr@jrc.es

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