The Nordic eHealth Research Network was established in 2012 as a forum for policy makers and researchers to jointly work towards measurable policy goals and data that can be exploited to steer decision making related to goals and their implementation. This report describes first results of the Network: eHealth policy analysis and first common Nordic eHealth indicators. The results show similarities and also some differences in the eHealth policies, priorities and implementation. Interesting similarities and differences in availability and use of eHealth services in the Nordic countries were found with the first comparable eHealth indicators. The results create a basis for Evidence-based policy making as well as benchmarking and learning best practices from each other.

This report proposes a long-term management of earlier NeRN work to be utilized also in the European and OECD context, and indicators on patients and citizens' use and experiences of eHealth services. An update to prior eHealth policy analysis shows an increase on governance and stakeholder involvement in all countries. The existing NeRN indicators form a good basis for continued monitoring. Common eHealth indicators from citizens’ point of view are needed. Current Nordic citizen surveys offer a good basis for this. Decisions on governance of eHealth benchmarking work and of collaboration between several different reporting organisations are required for long-term maagement on eHealth benchmarking. With very similar eHealth policy goals, the EU, WHO, and OECD should join forces in defining common indicators to be collected nationally and reported internationally (e.g. by Eurostat).

Online publication: https://pub.norden.org/temanord2020-505/ Abstract [en] The Nordic eHealth Research Network (NeRN) was established by the Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) eHealth group in 2012. The objective was to develop, test, and evaluate a common set of indicators for monitoring eHealth in the Nordic countries, Greenland, Faroe Islands and Aaland, for use to support the development of Nordic welfare.The results of the network’s first three mandate periods were published in the Nordic Council of Ministers reports. Links can be found on the NeRN web page: https://thl.fi/en/web/thlfi-en/research-and-expertwork/projects-and-programmes/nordic-ehealth-research-network-nern This publication reports the outcomes of the fourth mandate period focusing on five tasks: 1 New analysis of eHealth policies in the Nordic countries. 2 Updating common indicators in accordance with emerging new policy goals. 3 Developing a Nordic model survey to monitor citizen views on eHealth. 4 Cyber security in the Nordic Countries. 5 Personas for users of indicators of eHealth availability, use and outcome in the Nordic countries.

Health IT is a major field of investment in support of healthcare delivery, but patients and professionals tend to have systems imposed upon them by organizational policy or as a result of even higher policy decision. And, while many health IT systems are efficient and welcomed by their users, and are essential to modern healthcare, this is not the case for all. Unfortunately, some systems cause user frustration and result in inefficiency in use, and a few are known to have inconvenienced patients or even caused harm, including the occasional death. This book seeks to answer the need for better understanding of the importance of robust evidence to support health IT and to optimize investment in it; to give insight into health IT evidence and evaluation as its primary source; and to promote health informatics as an underpinning science demonstrating the same ethical rigour and proof of net benefit as is expected of other applied health technologies. The book is divided into three parts: the context and importance of evidence-based health informatics; methodological considerations of health IT evaluation as the source of evidence; and ensuring the relevance and application of evidence. A number of cross cutting themes emerge in each of these sections. This book seeks to inform the reader on the wide range of knowledge available, and the appropriateness of its use according to the circumstances. It is aimed at a wide readership and will be of interest to health policymakers, clinicians, health informaticians, the academic health informatics community, members of patient and policy organisations, and members of the vendor industry.

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.

Context is key in the design, implementation and evaluation of health information technology. Healthcare systems around the world are in transition; adopting technologies to deal with the problems of aging populations, increased numbers of chronically ill patients and limited resources. But a 'one size fits all' approach is not the answer, and may limit those local healthcare system innovations that are so crucial to the development of health informatics. Even the most advanced systems will fail to achieve the desired outcomes if context is not taken into account. This book presents the proceedings of the Context Sensitive Health Informatics (CSHI) conference, held in Curitiba, Brazil, in August 2015. Context sensitive health informatics is about health information technologies and their environments, and the 26 papers included here examine how health informatics systems are developed, implemented and evaluated in a complex environment of many places, many users, many uses and in many contexts. The book is divided into four themes: different users in different contexts; evaluating for context through usability testing and ensuring patient safety; organizational and social issues in different places; and understanding different contexts using theory. This overview of the research and experience critical to ensuring the successful introduction and adaptation of healthcare systems to new countries, contexts and healthcare settings will be of interest to all those involved in improving the quality of healthcare worldwide.

Information technology and the information sciences have been part of our lives for some time now. They have revolutionized the healthcare system, changing the whole health landscape, as well as health culture. New devices, sources of data and roles for all those involved in healthcare are being developed as a result. This book presents the proceedings of the 25th European Medical Informatics Conference, held in Istanbul, Turkey in August/September 2014. The conference aims to present the most recent developments in biomedical informatics. The book is divided into 15 sections, which include: decision support systems and clinical practice guidelines; improved healthcare through informatics; data analysis; mobile health; technology and system evaluation; and text mining. The final two sections present posters from the conference. The book will be of interest to all those in the healthcare sector, researchers and practitioners alike, who develop, evaluate or work with information technology.