HEALTH RECORDS WITHOUT BORDERS

The European Commission has launched two major e-health initiatives which will provide member countries with basic guidelines for ensuring that doctors can gain access to vital information on patients wherever the information is located. Based on the proposals, a patient on a waiting list in one country could get treatment in another EU state and have the cost refunded by their national health scheme. The first e-health proposal involves the development of interoperable cross-border electronic health records (EHRs). The second proposal covers the launch of the Smart Open Services (SOS) Project, the aim of which is to enable health professionals to access data, such as current medications of patients from other EU countries, in their own language. The electronic records will be voluntary, respecting the citizen’s right to privacy. According to officials, the information contained has yet to be agreed on, but should include a summary of essential information such as blood group and known allergies.

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