Primary care 80% automated in Europe

Primary care in Europe is about 80% automated and providing good examples of what can be done and what works, a major US conference heard last week.

The deputy head of e-health at the European Commission’s information society and media directorate, Ilias Iakovidis, delivered a firm reminder to a largely US audience that good examples of using technology to improve health care exist outside North America and are, in some ways, showing the way.

“There are silent heroes in Europe who have done it,” he told the Health Information Management and Systems Society (HIMSS) annual meeting in San Diego.

“Primary care is 80% automatised in Europe. This has been a target since 1992 in Europe,” he said.

At a more local level he cited the example of the Boario Home Care Telecardiology programme in Italy.

The programme, started in 1998, introduced the use of technology to improve care for cardiology patients in a mountainous part of Italy. Services now offered to patients include: home telenursing for chronic patients, tele-diagnosis for palpitations and call centre services for hospitals.

Iakovidis said the programme had achieved a 47% reduction referrals of cardiology patients to the emergency department.

“Don’t ignore what has been done and what works,” he said.