For Austria
eHealth Strategy
E Health Strategy Austria
Austria has a well-functioning public healthcare system supported by an established eHealth infrastructure. However, a consolidated, nationwide strategy for the digitalisation of health and care needs to be developed to address the challenges in the health sector.
Developing the Austrian eHealth Strategy
Background
Digitalisation can contribute to maintaining, supporting, and restoring health in its broad sense. It can also support the provision of a reliable basis for decision-making in health policy and public health. However, it is important to shape digitalisation in a way that takes into account care quality, equal opportunities, and societal values.
In order to design and use digitalisation in the public interest, investments in the appropriate infrastructure, participation and control mechanisms are required. Citizens, patients, and health service providers must be able to trust digital solutions and be supported while using them. Austria has a highly functional public health system that is supported by an established eHealth infrastructure. This forms a solid basis for the application of digital solutions, with the electronic health record (ELGA) serving as a central infrastructure.
What has been missing so far and is becoming increasingly important due to the challenges in the healthcare system (aging population, staff shortage etc.) is a consolidated, nationwide strategy for digitalisation in healthcare.
The present document establishes such a strategy and defines objectives and activities for a time period from 2024 to 2030. This eHealth strategy is intended to represent a vision supported by all relevant system actors, which allows the initiation, coordination, implementation, and evaluation of developments related to digitalisation.
Methods
The Austrian Federal Target-Based Governance Commission has tasked an “eHealth strategy working group” to develop an Austrian eHealth strategy: The working group is chaired by the Federal Ministry for Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection (BMSGPK) and supported by Gesundheit Österreich GmbH (GÖG). In the first two quarters of 2023, in a series of eight sessions, a first version of an Austrian eHealth strategy has been developed.
Existing Austrian and EU-wide strategies and implementation plans for digital health were considered in the development of this eHealth strategy. The method used was as follows:
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definition of overarching and procedural guiding principles
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development of a vision for the year 2030
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derivation of strategic and operational goals as well as activities aligne with the vision prioritization of the proposed activities
In November 2023, the draft strategy has been presented in a kick-off event and discussed with an expert audience. The draft has then been developed further on the basis of inputs from six working groups and a series of expert interviews with key stakeholders.
The Objectives of the eHealth Strategy
S1. Enabling digital access to the healthcare system
S2. Create telehealth prevention and care solutions
S3. Further develop the public health telematics infrastructure (GTI)
S4. Provide central eHealth services/components
S5. Establish registers relevant to health care and governance
S6. Strengthen secondary use of health data
S7. Make innovation accessible
S8. Strengthen digital skills
Operational goals have been developed for each of these strategic goals. The strategic and operational goals are accompanied by several overarching and procedural principles. For each operational goal concrete activities have been defined. In addition, the activities have been evaluated and prioritised in terms of time, differentiating short, medium, and long-term activities.
This strategy is committed to the idea that digitalisation can contribute to the preservation and restoration of health in a broad sense if used in the right way. It pursues the goal of defining and subsequently developing a common vision for eHealth and digitalisation in health and care in Austria.
Download the "Austrian eHealth Strategy" on the Website of the Federal Ministry for Social Affairs, Health, Care and Customer Protection (German)
