International Sites
Multinational
Africa Telehealth Project
The Africa TeleHealth Project provides a staged introduction to telehealth programs in the African market, focusing on geographic coverage and service issues. Initially, the services are being introduced in cooperation with a variety of international development agencies, including private sector participation with Mediastats leading and academic institutions.
ArabMedicine.com
Web portal for healthcare professionals serving the Arab world.
EU eHealth
eHealth is a eEurope 2005 policy priority, setting targets for both the European Commission and Member States to meet in areas such as promoting a European electronic health card, developing Health Information Networks and putting health services online.
EU Health Strategy 2000
EU action on health is based on three key principles: integration, sustainability and focus on priority issues.
European Health Telematics Association
EHTEL, as a membership driven European association, offers a platform to all stakeholders of eHealth in order to exchange information, to identify problems and find solutions for the implementation of the above goals. This is realized through networking between the stakeholders, the organization of conferences, workshops and specific task forces.
European Health Telematics Observatory
EHTO provides a Web integrated and innovative approach to dissemination of information on IT and on RTD results to the specific audiences of professionals involved in health telematics. The objective is to create an efficient IT-health telematics market by overcoming the high fragmentation of decisional structures of the health sector. The target is to facilitate and to enhance the relations between users of technologies at all levels (health professionals, decision and policy makers, and hospital administrators) and providers of IT equipment and services (including telecom operators).
Health Metrics Network
The World Health Assembly has launched a new global partnership called the Health Metrics Network (HMN) that will work to improve public health decision-making by having better health information systems available. HMN, a partnership comprised of countries, multilateral and bilateral development agencies, foundations, global health initiatives and technical experts will increase the use of timely, reliable health information by catalyzing the funding and development of core health information systems in developing countries. HMN will help countries gather vital health information and bring together health and statistical constituencies.
OECD Health Data 2005: Statistics and Indicators for 30 Countries
A comprehensive source of comparable statistics on health and health systems across Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. It is an essential tool for health researchers and policy advisors in governments, the private sector and the academic community, to carry out comparative analyses and draw lessons from international comparisons of diverse health care systems.
(Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)
World Health Organization's E-Health Development Plan
The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO) organized the meeting of Health and Medical Informatics Focal Points in EMR in Cairo, Egypt, in May 2001 The meeting made a number of recommendations addressed to WHO and to member states. Based on these recommendations a plan of action was developed, including capacity building and applications.
Australia
Australia E-health Standards
E-health standards selected by national body working on health informatics.
Australian Health Information Council
AHIC was established by Australian state and territory health ministers to provide independent advice on effective use of information management and information communications technology in the health sector.
Foundations for the Future
Australian Health Information Council national e-health strategy plan including priorities for health informatics standardization in Australia, 2005–2008.
HealthConnect
The HealthConnect website reflects new partnership arrangements between the Australian, State and Territory governments to implement HealthConnect as an overarching national change management strategy to improve safety and quality in health care by establishing and maintaining a range of standardized electronic health information products and services for health care providers and consumers.
Health Connect Business Architecture
The strategy and plan for Australia's HealthConnect -- a network of electronic health records that aims to improve the flow of information across the Australian health sector. It involves the electronic collection, storage and exchange of consumer health information via a secure network and within strict privacy safeguards.
HealthConnect Legal Issues Report
Examines legal issues of EHR systems including protection of data, security and patient consent as well as state and national laws. Parts two is the Summary of Key Findings, and part three includes tables and legislation. (Australia Department of Health and Ageing, January 2005)
HealthConnect Strategy Plan
Five phase plan to deploy electronic health care systems by regions and states released in June, 2005.
Lesson Learned from the MediConnect Field Test and HealthConnect Trials
The Tasmanian HealthConnect trial centered on Hobart and focused on diabetes management involving a broad range of health care providers. The MediConnect Field Test involved the sharing of medicines information for over 3,000 consumers in two areas, Ballarat and Launceston. The North Queensland trial involved the sharing of information around an episode of elective surgery at the Townsville Hospital and the secure exchange of information with GPs. Executive summary and detailed report. (Australia Department of Health and Ageing, April 2005)
Lions Eye Institute Center for e-Health
The Lions Eye Institute telemedicine project was developed to bring about the use of modern electronics and telecommunications facilities to allow on-line analysis of eye images taken in the field anywhere in the world, initially trialling in Western Australia and Indonesia.
National e-Health Transition Authority
Established by the national government to work jointly with the states to develop an e-health architecture and supply the HealthConnect infrastructure. NEHTA projects overview includes links to a wide range of projects including clinical data, patient and provider identification, security, secure messaging, integration and supply chain.
Roadmap for HealthConnect
The documents, ‘Lessons Learned from the MediConnect Field Test and HealthConnect Trials’ and ‘HealthConnect Implementation Strategy’ jointly provide a road map to the Australian Government and state and territory governments on setting up HealthConnect and monitoring its progress. They will ensure that the nation works in partnership on e-health. (Minister for Health and Ageing, June 2005)
New South Wales
Information Management and Technology Strategy for General Practitioners
Includes guidelines for HL7 discharge referral messaging standard. (NSW Clinical Information Access Program)
New Way of Delivering Information Management and Technology Services
Details patient information system and infrastructure plans to provide a consistent standard of IM&T coverage for all health areas. (New South Wales Department of Health, May 2005)
New South Wales Health Connect Trial
The trial's objectives are to develop, test and evaluate the core components of HealthConnect and NSW Health e-Link, including business and technical architecture, security and consent, communication and implementation of standards. It focuses on chronic disease management system and child information network.
Queensland
North Queensland HealthConnect Trial
Focused on the exchange information between doctors and patients in rural areas needing surgery and hospital in Townsville. Primary care providers will generate an EHR and send it to hospital in Townsville, with all care providers agreed to by patient able to share record.
Brisbane Health Connect Trial
The Brisbane Southside HealthConnect trial will focus on adults with diabetes who often need to visit a range of different health care providers to meet their health care needs and will use an EHR system to provide interchange of patient information between those providers. Trial will test use of a Web-based open EHR.
South Australia
Rural and Remote Mental Health Service of South Australia Telepyschiatry
Uses two-way video teleconferencing systems to connect psychiatrists in Adelaide with remote patients. Currently 83 videoconferencing units can be accessed by 67 South Australian rural and remote communities.
Tasmania HealthConnect Diabetes Patient Trial
Designed to provide electronic exchange of information among health care providers for diabetes patients.
Tasmania Medical Smartcards
Tasmania is first state in Australia to use medical smart cards.
Finland
Finnish Society of Telemedicine
The Finnish Society of Telemedicine aims to promote the health of the population through telecommunication and to disperse the expert knowledge within health care.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong Society of Medical Informatics
The society promotes the establishment of information infrastructure, applications and information technology in medicine.
India
Framework for Information Technology Infrastructure for Health in India
The primary objective of building an Information Technology Infrastructure
for Health (ITIH) is to address all information needs of different
stakeholders (government, hospitals, insurance companies, patients,
vendors and others) in the healthcare industry and to streamline
healthcare activities across the country.
(Ministry of Communications and Information Technology)
IT Infrastructure for Health & Telemedicine Standardisation
The Department of Information Technology (DIT) is responsible for defining the standards for telemedicine systems in India and for defining the framework for IT Infrastructure for Health (ITIH) to efficiently address information needs of different stakeholders in the healthcare sector.
Narayana Hrudayalaya Telemedicine Project
This project is a "Non Profitable" project sponsored by Rabindranath Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences, Calcutta; Narayana Hrudayalaya, Bangalore; Hewlett Packard; Indian Space Research Organisation; and state governments of the seven north eastern states of India.
Recommended Guidelines & Standards for Practice of Telemedicine in India
(Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, May 2003)
Kenya
Mosoriot Medical Record System
An electronic medical record system supporting a primary care health center in rural Kenya. During initial project phases, the system was used as the sole means to capture clinical data in the Mosoriot Rural Health Center run by the Kenyan Ministry of Health which provides primary health services to 40,000 patients annually.
AMPATH Medical Record System
The Academic Model for the Prevention and Treatment of HIV/AIDS (AMPATH) is the next generation EMR and is focused primarily on supporting the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS in Kenya.
Norway
KITH – Norwegian Centre for Informatics in Health and Social Care
KITH was formed to contribute to coordinated and cost-efficient application of information technology in the health and social care sector. KITH focuses on codes and terminology, electronic Information exchange, information security, electronic health record systems, digital imaging systems/radiology.
Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine
The Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine (NST) is a research and development centre that aims to gather, produce and provide knowledge about telemedicine and ehealth both nationally and internationally. The NST works actively to ensure that telemedicine and ehealth services are integrated into health service provision.
Teamwork 2007: Electronic Interaction in the Health and Social Sector
Norway's ehealth strategy has two main priorities: improving the flow of information in the sector and including new actors in electronic interaction in the sector.
South Africa
Health Technology Assessment
South Africa is in the process of developing a Health Technology Assessment mechanism as part of a broader regulatory framework.
National Health Information System
A nationally coordinated effort to support the effective delivery of services at all levels of the health system.
Strategic Priorities for the National Health System, 2004-2009
The Department of Health conducted a review of the period 1999-2004 to determine what work is outstanding and what new work is needed to provide the necessary stewardship of the South African health system.This process has resulted in the
adoption of a new set of priorities for the next 5 years which are described in this document. (Ministry of Health, July 2004)
United Kingdom
Care Record Development Board
CRDB brings together patients and service users, the public, and social and healthcare professionals in a single forum that will set the new model for care. It will work with the NHS National Programme for IT to enable sharing of information, scheduling and processes.
National Health Service Programme for IT
UK Department of Health Agency's Connecting for Health is a 10-year project to provide 50 million NHS patients in England with electronic health records accessible by 30,000 doctors with an award of $11 billion in contracts in late 2003 and early 2004. The site has a program brochure, an IT timeline and a financial analysis.
NHS Health Informatics Community
This site aims to facilitate the exchange of knowledge in support of health informatics through peer to peer exchange, collective intelligence, networking, debate, sharing, learning and discussion in support of the individual and the organization. Users include health informatics professionals, doctors, include nurses, midwives, consultants, suppliers, academics, librarians, and students.
NHS Health Technology Assessment Programme
HTA's mission is to ensure high quality research information on the costs, effectiveness and broader impact of health technologies is produced in the most effective way for those who use, manage and provide care in the NHS.
Northern Ireland
Information and Communications Technologies Strategic Plan
High level plans and policies for deployment of electronic health record system in Northern Ireland. (Health and Personal Social Services Agency, March 2005)
Scotland
A National Framework for Service Change in the NHS in Scotland
An expert group, led by international cancer specialist Professor David Kerr, has produced a detailed set of recommendations on how the health service could be shaped over the coming decades. It represents the culmination of 14 months of investigation. (Kerr Group, May 26, 2005)
Building a Health Service Fit for the Future
Strategy document calls for Scotland-wide EHR and Telehealth system to improve and speed patient care. (National Framework For Service Change in the NHS Scotland Report, May 2005)
National Ehealth/Information Management and Technology Strategy Plan 2004-2008
Detailed planning document for deployment of electronic health care systems in Scotland. (NHS Scotland, April 2004)
Wales
Designed for Life: Creating World Class Health and Social Care in Wales In The 21st Century
High level planning document, which includes ehealth and telehealth strategies.
(NHS Wales, May 2005)
Modernizing Diagnostic Imaging Services in Wales
Details plans for regional collaboration and networked systems to maximize use of diagnostic imaging systems in Wales and reduce patient time patients need to wait for an appointment. (Wales Pathology Modernization Project Report, May 9, 2005)
