Computerized Information Systems For Primary Health Care In The Nordic Countries

NOMESKO nr. 27

Nomesko har jämfört ett av de informationssystem inom primärvården som använder datorer i varje nordiskt land. Denna rapport innehåller ett sammandrag av dessa jämförelser samt vissa konklusioner som har dragits av dessa exempel. De system som redovisas används rutinmäs- sigt och utvecklas vidare.

The report presents results of the Nordic eHealth Research Network, a subgroup of the eNordic Council of Ministers Health group. The network defined and collected data for altogether 49 common eHealth indicators from the Nordic Countries. Health information was quite comprehensively electronically available from other organisations in all the Nordic countries by end of 2014. Intensity of use of nationally stored data remained low except in Denmark. Sweden had best availability of the Patient portal functionalities. Patients used patient portal functionalities rarely except in Denmark. Doctors in Iceland had most positive experiences of their health information systems. Even with limitations, the current work presents a solid basis for working towards the goal of the eHealth network: generating comparable information to support development of Nordic welfare.

The purpose of this book is twofold: first, it aims to provide a short introduction to health, its determinants, and health services in these five Nordic countries. Second, through its list of references we hope that people with a more detail interest in these questions can locate relevant data sources. The aim of comparability has resulted in unevennes, because the content of the report is largely determined by what was available rather than what is important or what would have been the best way of presenting the data. This is not a complete or balanced overview, but a "visiting card" to health issues in the Nordic countries.

"This reference set provides a complete understanding of the development of applications and concepts in clinical, patient, and hospital information systems"--Provided by publisher.

This book is open access under a CC BY-NC 2.5 license. The book aims to be a resource for those interested in planning and implementing large-scale information infrastructures for novel electronic services in health care. The focus of this book is on the pivotal role of the installed base (i.e. the already existing elements of an infrastructure) for ensuing infrastructural development. The book presents rich empirical cases on the design, development and implementation of core infrastructural components (e-prescription and public patient-oriented web platforms) in different national settings across Europe. Therefore, this is a book in which theoretical insights and practical experiences are tightly connected. Contributions have been sourced from a network of academics that have been working on the topic for years, and who have previously collaborated and shared a common understanding of the challenges entailed in expanding information infrastructures within healthcare. The book aims to become a reference for those seeking theoretical and empirical insights for conceptualizing and steering the evolution of information infrastructures in healthcare. The two types of systems (e-prescription and public patient-oriented web platforms) have been selected because they are widespread across Europe, because they invite comparisons, and because they are exemplary of two different types of aims. E-prescription initiatives are usually seen as opportunities to improve healthcare delivery by systematic and not dramatic change. Public patient-oriented web platforms are seen as opportunities to pursue wider and more radical innovation. This book targets researchers, practitioners and students who would benefit from a book providing a comprehensive view to contemporary approaches for the design and deployment of large-scale, inter-organizational systems within healthcare.